


Boone Pretzels, Honolulu, HI

by BymagaJones



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2017-03-28
Packaged: 2018-09-29 19:48:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 84,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10142660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BymagaJones/pseuds/BymagaJones
Summary: Danny Williams owns a Boone Pretzel Franchise in Hawaii and is working hard trying to make ends meet.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As always, I need to thank my alpha/beta, SquidgiePDX. Not only do you improve my stories 1,000%, but your notes are also helping me to become a better writer.  
> The story is complete. I will post one chapter a day to give it a final look-though first.

Chapter 1

Hours before the sun rose Monday morning, Danny Williams, proud owner of the only Boone Pretzels franchise in Honolulu – actually, in all of Hawaii – stumbled down the stairs from his upstairs apartment into a small hallway, stepping directly onto a hard toy with lots of sharp edges. Cursing softly, he moved it aside and opened the door leading into the pretzel shop’s kitchen. He turned on the lights and limped over to preheat the ovens before walking out to the front, starting the coffeemaker and leaning against the counter, eyes closed until the aroma started to wake him.

Even after all of these years of waking before the buttcrack of dawn, Danny still found it difficult to get out of bed without the sun. He pushed against his eyes with the palms of his hands, trying to gear up for his day, trying not to think of doing this same thing over and over, day after day, until he just up and keeled over the cash register – hopefully many years from now, after his girls were both grown and could take care of each other. He did what he always did, buried the thought deep down until all he could see ahead of him was the current day.

The last gasps of the coffeemaker told him that it had done its job, and he reached for a mug, filling it up and returning to the kitchen where he washed his hands. His body’s muscle memory kicked in as he began automatically making fruit-stuffed pretzels.

This early morning stuff wasn’t so bad with coffee, Danny reminded himself. It was pretty much the only time he had to himself, so he held it almost sacred. This was when he went over the details for the day, reminded himself of his responsibilities, of any special plans he needed to remember. Taking this time made it possible for him to make the most effective use of his time.

He mapped out the day in his mind, put the first wave of pretzels in the oven, set the timer, rinsed the dishes and put them in the large dishwasher, and refilled his coffee before returning upstairs for his shower. He suspected that the water heater had seen its best days during World War II, so he always made sure to be in and out in record time so there was enough hot water for his girls. Besides, he had things he needed to tick off his mental list before returning downstairs.

After dressing quickly and quietly, making sure he’d placed his tie clip properly, he took out two of the three bowls in the cabinet, grabbing two spoons on his way to the card table in the middle of the small kitchen. He set the table and pulled out the milk and cereal, making sure he got both cereal boxes. Pouring the two bowls of cereal, he returned the boxes on top of the fridge and grabbed his now-empty mug, sliding his feet back into his slippers and heading back downstairs.

He took out the first batches of pretzels, inserting the sheets onto the cooling racks, and put more in the oven, resetting the timer.

Refilling his mug, he headed to his “office”, located in the small alcove beside the stairs. One of the first things he’d done when he’d bought the place was seal the apartment’s separate entrance and create the door that led directly from the stairs into the kitchen so that the only way one could get into the apartment was through the shop. The front door had been blocked by a small bookshelf that he seemed to run into every time he backed up his chair from the small desk he’d also installed. The place was cramped, and because he despised paperwork, he spent as little time there as possible.

Of course he stepped on the stupid toy again with the same foot and tossed it up on the desk this time, cursing under his breath as he edged around the desk to reach the chair. He flipped on the floor lamp and leaned over the paperwork, glaring at the numbers as they told him what he already knew: he was in serious trouble. He’d known that a Haole opening up a shop in Hawaii was going to be a challenge, but he hadn’t had a lot of choice in that area. He’d hoped, though, after almost two years, that things would’ve gotten easier. It didn’t help that he was receiving absolutely no support from the corporate office.

To be fair, though, business was getting a little better. It was just that with an additional mouth to feed and clothe on an everyday basis, his money – and his time – was being stretched thin.

He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. He’d figure out something. He didn’t have a choice.

Hearing the timer, he headed back into the kitchen and pulled out the pretzels, adding them to the cooling rack.

Now was the time for what he called the breakfast pretzels: ham and cheese, western omelet, and his bestseller, peanut butter and jelly.

After putting a batch in the oven, he returned upstairs to find the two reasons for his existence already seated at the table, eating their cereal.

“Good morning, my angels,” he said, making loud smacking noises as he kissed two clean foreheads.

“Morning, Danno,” two high-pitched voices said.

Sitting down on the third chair, his hands clasped between his knees, he faced his daughters. “Monkey, you first today.”

His youngest daughter, six year old Grace, stood and turned around slowly. Danny pulled down the shirt that was hitched up a little high up on her back and pulled her into a hug. “Brush your teeth?”

Yes, Danno.”

“Wash your face?”

“Yes, Danno.”

“Wash behind your ears?” He made a show of pulling one of her ears.

“I did that last night!”

“So you did,” he exclaimed. “You ready for school?”

“Almost finished with my breakfast,” she confirmed.

“Great job,” he said, tickling her before he let her return to her cereal. He turned to his older daughter, Jenna. “Bear, it’s your turn.”

She slid out of her chair, already giggling, hands over her mouth.

“Turn around,” Danny said, waving his finger in a circle.

Hands still covering her mouth, she turned around slowly. Her clothes were getting a little tight, and Danny sighed to himself, realizing that he was going to have to get her some new ones sooner than he’d hoped. “You look great too!” He pulled her close to him, just like he did her sister. “Brush your teeth and wash your face?”

She giggled and nodded.

“Good girl.” He patted her on the butt. “Finish your breakfast.”

He grabbed Grace’s lunch bag from the fridge, putting it in her backpack by the door. Glancing at his watch, he said, “I’ll be right back. Monkey, get your stuff; we have to leave in a few minutes.” He jogged downstairs and into the store, turning off the alarm and unlocking the shop’s front door.

“Morning, Boss!” Kono stepped inside, locking the door behind her and following him back into the kitchen.

“You’re way too awake. Let me guess. You went surfing this morning.”

Kono grinned, washing her hands beside him and grabbing some oven mitts to help him take the pretzels out of the oven. “I almost didn’t come in today,” she teased.

“Don’t even joke,” Danny said half seriously. As bad as things were, there was no way he would’ve even made it this far without Kono. She’d walked in a few days before the store’s grand opening, and he’d learned that he’d hired her when she’d automatically picked Jenna up and set her on the counter to get her out of a workman’s way. Normally, his daughter was extremely shy around strangers, but she’d taken one look at Kono and had fallen in love. As far as Danny was concerned, short of proof that she’d killed someone or was planning on stealing from him, Kono was hired. Everyday he maintained – loudly – that he regretted that choice, but they both knew that many times she was the only one helping him hold on to what sometimes only amounted to a tiny scrap of sanity. She was more than an employee and a friend. She’d become his family, his Gladys of the islands.

He didn’t know what he was going to do when she left for the police academy in a few weeks. As always, when the fear and panic threatened to rise inside him, he forced it away and focused on what he needed to do in the next few minutes.

“I’ll be back,” he said, catching her nod as he took off his gloves and headed back upstairs.

“Monkey? Bus,” he said, leaning against the doorframe as she carefully put her dishes in the sink and picked up her pink backpack. “Bear,” he called, watching Jenna follow her sister’s footsteps, her doll, Recording Rita, in her arms. “Good girls.” He followed them down the stairs, through the kitchen, and into the front area.

“Morning!” Kono chirped as she set the cooled pretzels in the bake case.

“Morning, Kono!” The two girls said as Danny unlocked the door and ushered them outside.

Luckily, Grace’s bus stop was at the corner on the end of the street, so Danny didn’t have to leave Kono on her own for very long. The neighborhood was relatively safe, but even in paradise, Danny couldn’t ignore the street smarts that’d helped him survive in Newark as a fairly good cop before he’d had to quit.

Danny had Grace practice her spelling words for the few minutes they waited for the bus, and she climbed on, waving to her father and sister before the doors closed.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Sighing, Danny looked down at his ten-year-old. The love and happiness shining from her eyes brought up a wave of love so large that he had to give her a big hug. “Danno loves you.”

“I love you too,” she said, hugging him back, Recording Rita digging into his shoulder.

She’d found Recording Rita buried underneath a pile of old, shaggy dolls at Goodwill and had immediately wanted it. It’d only been fifty cents, and she’d been so excited. Grace had asked for a videotape of a movie that she’d wanted to see, so they’d both left the store happy. Danny’d watched the stupid movie more times than he liked, but the girls still hadn’t shown any signs of getting tired of it. And even though Jenna’s doll sucked batteries, it was Jenna’s most prized possession, going everywhere with her. The only problem was that when she got nervous, she squeezed Recording Rita so hard that the doll would immediately start recording. It was annoying, but it made Jenna happy, so Danny coughed up the money for batteries and listened to the girls giggle as they recorded themselves and played it back.

Born with Down syndrome, Jenna spent most of her time being a bundle of love. Sometimes Danny’s heart hurt at the thought that she might never be able to live out on her own, but all he needed to do was take one look at her and know that she was too much of a blessing for him to think of her as anything less than a miracle. “How about we go help Kono get ready to open the store?”

“’kay.” They strolled the short distance back to the shop, Danny nodding at the two homeless men who hung out at the corner of the park. They’d been there longer than Danny, and they’d never caused him any problems. They seemed like the decent sort, just a little down on their luck. Sometimes he’d drop off a few extra pretzels for them, knowing that he could just as easily be in their place.

He also nodded to Mrs. Pukahi, the woman who owned the clothing shop next door. She glared at him and walked back into her shop.

Shaking his head, he unlocked the door and held it open for Jenna. “So your girl still hates me.”

Kono laughed, pouring coffee beans into the machine. “Mrs. Pukahi doesn’t hate you.” Danny glared at her. “Okay, maybe you’re not her favorite person.”

Settling Jenna at her table in the corner with her lessons, crayons, and drawing pad, Danny said, “I don’t get it. I’ve never said one mean thing to her, yet she looks at me like I killed her dog or something.”

“I heard that she might’ve been in love with Mr. Makaiau,” Kono said of the man who’d owned the storefront before Danny bought the space. “Maybe she resents that you’re here now.”

“He died!” Danny stood in the middle of the shop, arms wide. “It’s not like I snatched the place out from under him! Besides, it’s been almost two years!” He stomped around the counter, looking for his coffee mug.

“It’s over there.” Her arms full, Kono tilted her head toward the cash register.

Danny eyeballed the mug. “Is this the one I was using earlier?” He’d developed a terrible habit of leaving them all over the place, and he’d been trying do better at tracking them. So far, he’d done a pretty crappy job of it, and Kono didn’t even bother looking for his empties anymore, saying they’d pop up when they were ready. The last thing he wanted, though, was a surprise visit from the health inspector to unearth a fuckton of mugs around the place with mold growing out of a miniscule amount of coffee in the bottom. He prided himself on running a sanitary shop, even if he had to fight against his own natural disorganization to do it.

Kono rolled her eyes.

Giving up for the time being, Danny took a sip. “Thanks for this.”

“Like you need more caffeine,” Kono muttered, smiling at his glare.

I’m gonna go work on the other pretzels.” He stopped to kiss Jenna on her forehead and to lean down for her to plant one on his cheek before heading into the back. He thought ahead to the next few hours, praying to the retail gods that they had a good day.

H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0

“…don’t expect me to start an international incident to get your ass out of jail; the last time was tough enough!” A movement out of the corner of his eye made Steve look up and wave Catherine into his office. He only half-heartedly listened to his sister, Mary, proclaiming her innocence. That was pretty much all she did during their conversations, but he had to admit to having his own prepared speeches when dealing with her as well. In his defense, he always seemed to be putting out fires: getting her out of jail, convincing someone to let him pay for damages instead of pressing charges, talking a landlord into taking her late rent payments over the phone.

Catherine grinned at him, mouthing, “Mary?” as she sat down on the other side of the desk, crossing her legs gracefully, showing him an expanse of tanned, toned thigh.

He nodded, pressing the palm of his hand to his forehead. Activating the mute button, he said, “She’d be a millionaire if she could be as creative in business as she is in finding new ways to get into trouble.”

“What’s she up to now?”

“I think she’s working her way into another foreign prison. She’s almost been jailed at some of the more interesting ones in Europe, so now she’s heading over to Asia.”

Catherine raised an eyebrow. “They don’t play over there.”

“Maybe I should shut her in a room and loop ‘Midnight Cowboy’.”

“She’ll just figure out a way to take apart the DVD player and use a piece of it to unlock the door.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “She’s too brilliant to waste her life like this.” He hit the mute button, catching her mid-rant. “Yes, I was ignoring you. I have this thing I need to do, called work. I know you’re not familiar with it, but it’s what allows me to keep bailing out your ass whenever you’re in trouble!”

“The next time I’ll just take care of it myself, then!” Mary shouted at him.

“Yeah, I’ll hold my breath for that one!” The phone clicked, and Steve sighed as he cradled the receiver.

“Hung up on you again?”

“That’s pretty much how we end all of our conversations nowadays,” Steve sighed. “It’s way too early to deal with her.” He leaned back in his chair. “What’s up?”

“What’re you doing for lunch? I’m meeting with that new advertising agency.”

Steve frowned as he pulled up his calendar on his phone. “What’s wrong with our current agency?”

“Nothing, but I like to keep our options open,” Catherine said. “They contacted me, and I got a good feel from them.”

“Actually, I have a conference call with Brazil, and it’s probably gonna take a couple of hours. Let me know how it goes, though.”

Catherine nodded and stood, pausing at the door. “You free later tonight?” She tossed him a feisty grin.

Feeling his interest stir, he smiled back at her. “Have an itch you need scratching?”

“Fingers up to it?”

He feigned disappointment. “You just want me for my fingers?”

“You know better than that.” One raised eyebrow later, she was gone.

Steve looked back at the growing list of e-mails on his computer and sighed. Turning in his chair, he stared out of the window and watched the pedestrians five stories below hustle about, pulling their coats tighter. He hadn’t expected late February, while rarely filled with snow, to blow a cold air that struck deep to the bone. He thought longingly of Hawaii, imagining straddling a board in the ocean, just enjoying the sun wrapping around his body.

“Chin’s on line two,” his assistant chirped from the intercom.

Smiling, Steve picked up the line. “Speak of the devil!”

“You telling lies about me again?”

Chin’s voice almost transported Steve back to the island. “Just wishing I were there instead of trapped in this building.”

“Let me guess – you wearing a tie?”

Steve laughed. “Got the suit, the tie, the shoes.”

“With great power comes a multitude of clothes, I guess.”

“I don’t even know where my board shorts are anymore,” Steve confessed.

“If you’d ever take a vacation, you could fly out here, buy some new ones. Kamekona still has your board in storage.”

“That sounds great,” Steve said wistfully, “but we have too much going on right now. We’re looking to expand into Brazil.”

“You always have too much going on. You’ve been working there, what, two years? Have you taken more than a long weekend off since you started? You can’t tell me that your pretzel fortune is going to go up in smoke if you take a week off.”

Steve thought about his father, how he seemed to be recovering from his heart attack and subsequent surgeries. “Dad’s doing much better, but he’s catching up on what he missed while he was recuperating. I don’t think he can really handle the workload anymore.”

“I know you, McGarrett,” Chin laughed. “Vacation basically means that instead of twelve hour days, you’d work six. So it’s not as though he’d be doing it all. Besides, you still have Catherine there, right?”

“True,” Steve mulled over the idea. His cell phone beeped to remind him of his meeting. “I hate to cut this short, but I have a conference call in ten minutes.”

“I didn’t mean to take so much of your time. I just wanted to call you and congratulate you.”

Steve began to look over his notes. “Congratulate me for what?”

“The additions to your menu. I went into your shop here yesterday for lunch and had your pineapple pretzel. Brah, it was awesome! That was an excellent call!”

Steve put down his papers. “Pineapple pretzel?”

“I’m not sure about that peanut butter and jelly one, although Kono says it’s a top seller.”

Steve was mulling over the pineapple pretzel and trying to wrap his mind around the peanut butter and jelly, so it took a second for the name to catch his attention. “Kono?”

“My cousin,” Chin said, obviously not cluing in to the fact that Steve was a little confused about the whole conversation. “She works there. You can’t tell me you’ve forgotten her. She had the biggest crush on you when we were seniors. Remember how she’d follow us around all the time?”

“She’s, like, fourteen.”

“Sure, in ’92,” Chin laughed. “She’s a young woman now. Amazing surfer. Worked the pro circuit until she busted her knee. Now she’s working for your guy, getting ready to go into the police academy. Look, I know you have to go. I just wanted to tell you that the pineapple pretzel is a definite keeper. Book a flight and let me know when to pick you up, brah!”

After hanging up with Chin, Steve dove into the rest of his meetings for the day, pushing everything but his negotiations out of his mind. It wasn’t until he sat down with Catherine at dinner, listening to the waiter talk about their special containing pineapple, that he was reminded of his earlier conversation with Chin. He waited until they’d ordered before asking, “How many test pretzels do we have going on right now?”

Catherine thought a moment. “Six. We have a couple of soy options that we’re testing in middle America and here in Virginia, a corn-based one out in Iowa, and some low fat versions in California. Why?”

“My friend Chin called me up today to congratulate me on our new pineapple pretzel.”

“We don’t have a pineapple pretzel.”

“Exactly!” Steve said.

“It’s one of our franchises?”

Steve nodded.

“What did Victor say?”

Steve was spared an immediate response with the arrival of their drinks. Catherine opened her mouth as soon as they were alone, only to stare at him a second. “You didn’t talk to Victor.”

“Not yet.”

“I know you don’t like him, but he’s in charge of the franchises. It’s his job to know what’s going on with them.”

Steve knew she was right, that he should just drop this into Victor Hesse’s arms and let him take care of it. But two things held him back: First, something had struck him wrong about Hesse the first time they’d met, and nothing in the past two years had altered that feeling one iota. Secondly, Steve found himself intrigued. He’d never known Chin to even like pastries. But evidently this pretzel was so good that Chin’d not only taken the time to call Steve but had Steve himself wanting to try it. It wasn’t on their current menu, but maybe it should be.

Two days later, Steve was on a plane heading for Hawaii. As far as everyone except for Catherine and Chin knew, he was on vacation. Plus, Steve wanted to see who had the stones to create his own menu and sell it under Steve’s family’s name.


	3. Chapter 3

Danny remembered when Friday was a day to be celebrated because it meant the end of the week and the beginning of two days of freedom. Nowadays, it heralded the beginning of prime customer flow, tourists as well as weekend shoppers. It was busy, and that’s exactly what they needed. Unfortunately, it also meant that Grace was out of school, and Danny found he had to become creative in finding ways to bond with his daughter while still running the shop. Once a month, he, Grace, and Jenna would leave Kono at the shop during their slowest period and head down to the park at the end of the block for a picnic. He always kept an eye on the traffic flow outside the building and rarely had to return to the store to back up Kono due to an influx of customers.

The girls got so excited about their short picnics that it made Danny’s heart hurt. To them, it was the supreme adventure, even though the trip wasn’t even out of their neighborhood. That’s what it had come down to.

He stood at the school bus stop, smiling down at Jenna, who was singing some song Kono had put on in the shop. Every time she got to the chorus, she’d put her hands on her hips and shake her shoulders, putting everything she had into the song. It was adorable and filled with innocent attitude that made his heart swell with love and protectiveness. And if he had to deal with holding Recording Rita so Jenna could get her dance on, then so be it.

Grace barreled out down the steps of the bus, filled with energy. “Danno, it’s Friday! It’s Friday! No school for two days!” She began to sing a song she and Jenna had made up at the beginning of the year, easy to remember since the only lyrics were, “It’s Friday!” sung over and over, accompanied with lots of waving index fingers and head shakes. It never failed to make Danny laugh as he held on to each of their hands, listening to them just being happy.

They walked into the shop a few minutes later, the song dying on their lips. There were only a few customers, but Jenna always grew quieter when she was around strangers. She walked over to their table, Grace following.

After a quick glance around the room, Danny said, “Clean Jenna’s work off the table, and I’ll get you a snack. What do you want today?” He really didn’t have to ask; the answer was the same every day.

“Peanut butter and jelly, please!” Grace said, smiling up at him.

“Peanut butter and jelly, please!” Jenna parroted, with a beautiful smile of her own. She released a button on her doll.

“Peanut butter and jelly, please!” Recording Rita echoed.

Danny gently tapped each the girl on the nose before heading over to the bake case.

Kono pressed her stomach against the counter as she talked to her cousin, Chin, and a tall stranger. Danny’d noticed the man as soon as he’d walked inside; it was impossible to ignore someone who seemed to have sexiness wafting off of him and flowing directly in Danny’s direction. Danny nodded to Chin as he passed, tried not to ogle the stranger, and snagged a pair of disposable gloves from the tissue-sized box by the bake case.

“Let me guess,” Kono said, laughter in her voice.

“The usual,” Danny confirmed sliding open the door and grabbing two pretzels. “And of course, one for Recording Rita.” He looked up at Chin. “Hey, man. How’s the beat?”

Chin smiled. “Still keeping me on my toes.”

“You finally got up the nerve to try one?” Danny waved the pretzel in his hand. “My girls eat them everyday, and you’re too scared to even try a bite?” He shook his head in mock sorrow. “I fear for the safety of people on this island.”

“I can’t stop eating the pineapple ones,” Chin admitted.

“Those were pretty inspired,” Kono agreed.

“Did you create it yourself?” Tall, dark, and sexy asked.

As he plated the pretzels, Danny looked the man over. The short haircut and perfect posture screamed military; Danny wondered if he’d transferred over to the private sector and was now working with Chin at HPD. He was beautiful, long, dark lashes over sleepy hazel eyes. The faint shadow over his square jaw turned “beautiful” into “handsome”. The dark hair, full lips, and expression in the man’s eyes turned “handsome” into “breathtaking”. He was wearing a black t-shirt that looked as if it’d been painted on him, tattoos peeking out from below the sleeves. He had heartbreak written all over him, but it was written in a breezy, flowy script that promised a lot of fun along the way.

Unfortunately, Danny’d already had his share of heartbreak, and his life didn’t have space for that kind of fun. Besides, his libido had gone into hibernation right after Rachel had left and had probably withered and died from neglect by now.

“Danny, this is Steve, an old friend from high school.”

Danny pulled off a glove, reached out, and found his hand enveloped with a warm strength he found even more appealing. He pulled his hand back, absently smoothing his tie and adjusting his tie clip.

“I had a big crush on him when I was fourteen,” Kono said, dimpling and shooting Steve a coy look that made Danny wonder if the embers of that had been doused. He’d seen some of Kono’s boyfriends, and this Steve guy would be a thousand definite steps up from all of them.

Reluctantly, Danny let go of Steve’s hand. “Nice to meet you. A friend of Chin’s and Kono’s…” he waved his hand to let them complete the saying. “If you’ll excuse me, I have two impatient ladies waiting for their snacks.” He would’ve loved to’ve stood there all day and stared at Steve, but that part of his life was long gone. He had a list of priorities piled up to the top of his head, and making that kind of mistake wasn’t anywhere on it. Grabbing the plates, he gave the trio a quick smile before heading back over to the table.

“Danno, who’s that?” Grace asked curiously.

“That’s Steve, a friend of Chin and Kono’s,” Danny said, sliding a plate in front of each girl.

“He’s pretty,” Grace said before focusing on her pretzel.

Don’t I know it, Danny thought before turning to Jenna, who was still staring over at the register. “You okay, Bear?” She turned her big, beautiful eyes to him, and he sighed. “Let me guess. You think he’s pretty too.”

Jenna nodded. 

Raising his eyes to the heavens and praying that puberty decided to skip over their home for the next thirty or forty years, Danny stepped back and let the girls eat. With one last glance at Steve, Danny told Kono, “I’ll be in back,” secure in the knowledge that she’d keep an eye on the girls.

“Sure, boss,” Kono said, turning her attention back to Chin and Steve, her body deliberately angled toward the girls’ table.

Rolling up his sleeves, Danny escaped toward the large sink of dirty dishes.

H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0

Steve sat at a small table, his back against the wall, staring at the pretzel in front of him. It looked like a Boone Pretzel from the outside, but that was evidently as far as the similarity went.

“It’s not going to hurt you,” Chin said, amusement in his voice.

Kono laughed, and Steve looked wryly at the cousins sitting in chairs across from him. He gingerly picked it up and bit into it, feeling the warmth and the sweet pineapple chunks slide across his tongue. He hadn’t realized he’d closed his eyes until he opened them to find the cousins staring at him expectantly. “This is fantastic.”

“It’s one of Danny’s creations,” Kono said.

Danny. Steve hadn’t really taken the time to imagine what his Hawaiian franchise owner looked like, but he never would’ve suspected the man to be blond and built so solidly that Steve itched to run a hand down the man’s chest. Those blue eyes that stared him down made his heart beat faster, and he’d had to ball his hands into fists to remain still. This unexpected feeling of wanting had taken him by surprise; he’d never felt such an instantaneous connection with someone, and it rocked him a little. Returning his focus on the food in front of him, he asked, “Isn’t this a franchise? Do they allow for things like this?”

Kono shrugged. “I’m not sure what the rules are. I do know that he’s been on the phone a lot with the corporate office, but he’s always really pissed off afterwards. He never wants to talk about it, though.”

“You said these are selling really well?” Steve took another bite. They were definitely going to have to add this to the menu.

“These and the peanut butter and jelly ones are doing the best.” She glanced over to the swinging doors before leaning over the table and saying quietly, “Business is okay, but I see how stressed Danny is. I don’t know if we’re making enough to keep afloat.”

Steve swallowed. “What’s with the tie? I don’t remember it being part of a manager’s uniform.”

Confused look on her face, Kono said, “I asked him about it once. He said it makes him look professional.” She shrugged a shoulder.

Taking his last bite of the pretzel, Steve’s attention was caught by the two little girls sitting in the corner, giggling and staring his way. “And those are Danny’s daughters?”

Kono nodded. “Jenna and Grace. Jenna’s ten, Grace, six.”

“Jenna…”

“… has Down syndrome.”

Steve shifted a little, uncomfortable. “Why are they whispering and giggling like that?”

“That,” Kono said, standing as a customer entered the store, “is just a younger version of how I used to look at you.” She flashed him a flirtatious smile and headed to the counter.

“So,” Chin said, voice lowered, “you still wanna do this?”

During the ride from the airport, Chin and Steve had hashed out a plan for Steve to get closer to the franchise while still sticking as closely to the truth as they could.

Steve nodded. “I’m in.” He looked closely at Chin. “What about you? I know I’m asking a lot…”

“I don’t like lying to Kono,” Chin said, “but as long as you don’t hurt Danny or his family, then I think I can live with it. For a little while,” Chin added.

“I just want to figure out what’s going on,” Steve promised.

“You gonna be able to live with lying to Danny?”

“I don’t even know the man,” Steve said.

“And yet you keep looking at the those swinging doors like you can’t wait for him to come back.”

Steve shot Chin a look he’d perfected in the Navy.

“Okay then.” Chin slapped his hands on his thighs and stood. “Let me go talk to Kono, set this thing in motion.”

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Danny kept busy in the kitchen, even after the last dirty dish had been loaded in the dishwasher, after all the clean ones had been put away, after the floor had been swept and mopped, and after all of the countertops gleamed. He knew he should check on the girls, although they knew they could always come in there if they needed him. For some reason, he found himself… unwilling to do that just yet. It wasn’t cowardice, per se, that had kept him in the back. It was the anticipation that worried him. He wanted to go back out there and see Steve, maybe talk to him, watch him walk around the shop. He wanted it a little too much.

He couldn’t afford the distraction, not now while he was trying to keep his head above water. To be honest, he didn’t need it any time. What little free time he managed to carve out needed to be spent with his daughters. They were the only ones who mattered.

Taking one last swipe at a gleaming faucet, he sighed, ran his hands through his hair, washed those hands yet again, and manned up, pushing open the doors. He mentally cursed himself as his eyes immediately sought out Steve, and he jerked them away to focus on his girls.

“It’s time for your baths. Since it’s Friday, do you want to go upstairs and put on one of your programs after you’re both clean?”

The girls nodded.

“Bear, you’re in charge. Remember, though, that you both have to agree on the program.”

“Okay, Danno,” the girls chirped, kissing him on the cheek before they headed into the kitchen.

Danny took his time gathering the plates and napkins before bringing them back to the counter. Working around Kono, who was helping some customers, he put everything away and grabbed a cloth from the quat bucket, squeezing it and returning to wipe down the table. Feeling a presence behind him, he waited a few seconds before sighing. “Yes, Kono.”

Kono stepped into his line of sight and dropped into Grace’s chair. “We need to talk about my leaving for the police academy.”

“No.” Danny took his rag and walked away. He’d expelled a lot of energy keeping that thought from ruining his sleep at night; he certainly wasn’t ready to revisit it at the present time.

“But – ” Kono started, following him.

Danny turned around quickly. “I have three months to figure something out.” The look in Kono’s eyes made his stomach turn to lead. “What?”

“I leave next week.”

“You said I had three months!”

“Yeah, like, two and a half months ago.”

“Shit. Shit shit shit.” Where the hell did the time go? Danny ran a hand over his face, his mind scrambling to figure out a way he could keep the shop up and running by himself. He could barely afford to pay minimum wage; the only reason why Kono stayed with him was because she still lived with her mother and, he strongly suspected, she felt sorry for him. BH – Before Hawaii – he’d have been insulted, but now he was desperate and had more than himself to take care of. His pride was nothing to keeping a roof over his girls’ heads and food in their stomachs.

Kono forced him to look her in the eye as she grabbed his free hand with both of hers. “Chin and I have an idea.”

Danny closed his eyes for a moment, taking a few breaths. He always had this fear, this dread inside him. He knew that his grasp of this life was tenuous at best, and he’d tried to keep his worry from all of his girls, Jenna and Grace being easier than Kono. But now, with Kono leaving, he was just going to have to adapt. He’d get one of those “be right back” signs for when he had to go to the bus stop, and he’d read somewhere about inside picnics, where he could lay out a blanket for the girls. Unfortunately, he couldn’t afford to close up shop for one day a week. Jenna needed outside time, time to soak up the sun and run and breathe the air, and he’d have to figure out a way to make that happen.

The only time Jenna had been to the beach was the first day they’d arrived.

“Boss,” Kono’s insistent voice cut through his thoughts, and he opened his eyes to find a worried expression on her face.

“I’m okay,” Danny lied, knowing that he’d figure something out. He didn’t have a choice. Summoning up a smile, he said, “It’s not like you didn’t give me ample notice.”

Kono didn’t smile back. “Danny…”

“You go, become a cop. Help out this one,” he swung his arm toward Chin, faltering for a second when he briefly locked eyes with Steve, “keep us all safe. I’ll figure something out. I always do.”

“Actually,” Chin said, stepping closer, “Steve’s looking for a job.”

Danny couldn’t help but use the time to look at Steve again. The arms, the abs, the thighs… Danny squelched a sigh that bubbled up inside. “Steve looks like he’s on a break from the Army.”

“I was in the Navy, actually,” Steve said with a little smile.

“Was being the operative word,” Kono said. “He’s out now, needs a job.”

“Good luck with that,” Danny said, knowing that the man could probably walk into any company and at the very least get a job in security.

The bell chimed as a few customers entered the store. Kono went to intercept them as Steve and Chin stepped closer to Danny.

“What if Steve worked here?”

Danny threw Chin a look. “Let’s take this to the back.” Without waiting for an answer, he turned on his heel and led the way into the kitchen. Once there, he leaned against the sink, ankles crossed, arms folded. “Do you know how much Kono’s making?” He let them stand in silence before he continued to speak. “Let’s just say that we’re both well versed in the current minimum wage laws. She has no benefits, gets no vacation time.” He looked at Steve. “You could do pretty much whatever you want, become a cop, do private security or hire yourself out as a mercenary. Hell, I bet even the secret service would scoop you up.” Danny knew he sure as hell wanted to.

“The work that I did for the Navy meant that I spent more time working than spending what I made, so I have quite a bit of money saved up. I just need time to remember what it’s like to be a civilian, to figure out what I want to do.”

“Don’t want to commit to something until you’ve figured out your future?”

Steve nodded.

Absently scratching his cheek, Danny knew what he ought to do. He ought to shove a pretzel in both Chin and Steve’s mouths and shove them out the door. He also knew what he wanted to do, which was push out everyone who wasn’t Steve, then have his wicked way with the man in the kitchen. It’d been so long that it would only take less than five minutes from start to finish with Danny, although he strongly believed that he’d need much more time to work his way around Steve’s body.

But this wasn’t about his wants and needs; it was about how to keep the business running without sacrificing even more time with his daughters.

“So, what you’re saying is that you have a problem with commitment?”

“I committed to the Navy for over eleven years,” Steve said, his arms crossed as well. “I have no problem with commitment when I’ve decided that I’m ready for it.”

Danny felt the weight of the words but didn’t give them a chance to sink in before he asked, “How do I know that once I get you in here and train you, you won’t suddenly figure out who you want to be when you grow up, leaving me in the lurch?”

“I promise that I’ll give you plenty of notice,” Steve said. “And I’ve worked at a Boones before, the summer before I went to the Naval Academy.” He looked around the kitchen. “It’s been a while, but I’m sure a lot of it’ll come back to me.”

Danny’s eyes narrowed. It all seemed a little too perfect. “One of the things I learned from Benny, who ran a shell game in midtown Manhattan, was that if something looked too good to be true, you can be damned sure that it was.”

Steve shrugged, arms still folded. “Think of me as a filler, just until you can figure out a more permanent solution.” He gave Danny a hopeful smile.

“Okay,” Danny heard himself saying.

He hated himself a little bit for melting.


	4. Chapter 4

Steve hid his sigh of relief when Danny finally agreed to hire him. After he’d talked to Kono and realized how desperate Danny was, Steve’d figured the man would’ve gratefully snatched up his offer, maybe plied him with thank yous until Steve forced him to stop. Steve hadn’t reckoned on Danny’s stubborn streak. The man would probably drown rather than allow someone to pull him to safety if he decided on it.

So far, he hadn’t had to lie. He and Chin had decided to stick as close to the truth as possible, and Steve’s father had indeed made him move the summer before he went to college and spend it working at one of their franchises. His work with the SEALs – classified, of course – had taken him around the world but had allowed him very little free time to spend the money he was accumulating. Leaving the Navy to work with his father meant that he was making even more money, the hours he contributed to his new job still giving him little time to spend any of it.

“When can you start?”

“How about tomorrow?” He’d come directly to the shop from the airport and was feeling the jetlag. Plus, he needed to air out the house, unpack, and catch up on the e-mails he’d accumulated.

Steve’s dad still owned the house Steve had grown up in, choosing to rent it out to vacationers rather than just sell it outright. The rental agent had told Steve that she hadn’t had anyone in there for the past couple of months because Steve’s dad refused to spend any money on upgrades. Steve still wasn’t sure what had prompted that decision, since it was common knowledge that his dad wasn’t planning on returning to Hawaii. Ever.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Steve had booked it for the next two weeks with an option to extend, thinking that it would give him than enough time to figure out what to do about the franchise and sneak in some surfing.

Danny sighed, and Steve had to squelch a small smile at how the man obviously didn’t want Steve working there. Well, he was just going to have to suck it up and deal.

“Um, okay. Why don’t you come in around two tomorrow?”

Steve frowned. “Wouldn’t it make more sense for me to come in before opening so I can get a feel for how the day starts?”

Danny’s face turned to stone as he said quietly, “Maybe you’re used to giving orders, but I’m the boss here, and I make the decisions.” He looked at Chin. “This is a bad idea.”

“Give him a chance, brah,” Chin said.

Danny stood there, shaking his head, and Steve could feel his chance slipping away. He reached out, barely touching Danny’s sleeve. “I’m just jet lagged.” He tried out a hopeful grin. “I’m also really good at taking orders; you’ll see.”

A thump behind the back wall preceded a part of the wall opening, revealing a doorway. One of the little girls walked in, stopping short when she saw the three men in the kitchen. 

“What is it, Bear?”

“The machine’s not working,” she said, her eyes stuck on Steve.

Danny’s eyes moved from the little girl to Steve and then back to the little girl before he shook his head. “I’ll be up in a minute.”

“ ‘kay,” the girl said, still staring at Steve. 

Danny put his hands on the girl’s shoulders, physically turned her around, and patted her gently on the butt. “Go.”

“Hidden door?”

“If something happens down here, I want the girls to be safe up there.”

Steve frowned as he turned to Chin. “Are things that dangerous around here now?”

“Danny’s just paranoid,” Chin said, turning toward the front of the store.

“Paranoia’s gonna be the one thing to save us during the zombie apocalypse, my friend,” Danny called out as he headed upstairs.

Steve laughed, following Chin back into the front of the store. “Zombie apocalypse?”

“I’ve been telling him about the zombie show I’ve been watching,” Kono said. “I think it’s getting to him. So, how’d it go?”

“I start tomorrow at two,” Steve said, smiling when Kono gave a little cheer, “although I still think that coming in before the store opened would give me a chance to learn from the beginning.” Unused to taking orders in one of his own restaurants, he found that having to back down still rankled at bit, especially when it was so obviously a poor business decision.

“I asked for tomorrow off, and it doesn’t start to get busy until late afternoon. He’s probably thinking that he can minimize payroll,” Kono said. “He can teach you the morning baking stuff anytime, although he tends to do that himself since he’s right here.”

Stopping short, Steve suddenly remembered Kono’s comment about Danny’s financial situation. Suddenly, Danny’s decision didn’t seem quite so misguided.

“Don’t worry, though. Danny’s a terrific teacher. Before I got here, I couldn’t even brew coffee. Now I can make all of the pretzels and a damn fine cup of joe.”

Smiling, Steve strolled up to the bake case, appreciating the clean layout but underwhelmed at the custom-made cards listing the individual items.

“What’s wrong?”

Steve’s eyes flashed up to Kono’s before returning to the case. “It’s just that these don’t look like the cards I’ve seen at other Boones.”

“I did them. Danny had these terrible things that no one could read – his handwriting is horrible – so I used a program on my computer at home.” She shrugged. “Danny said that we’d get official ones, but I’ve never seen them. But these do the job.”

Steve realized that the pineapple pretzel had been a good snack, but he knew that he was going to be really hungry later in the evening. Deciding to push his grocery shopping back until the next morning, he reached into his pocket for his wallet. “Give me one ham and cheese and one western omelet.” He hesitated for a moment before giving in. “And two of the pineapple.”

“No BP&J?”

Steve gave Kono a wan smile. “I’ll save that for a special occasion.”

True friend and sneaky bastard that he was, Chin had called a few of Steve’s old friends, and they greeted him as he arrived at his dad’s house. They stood crowded around the front door, cleaning items in tow – except for Kamekona, who’d arrived with shave ice and shrimp. Instead of a quiet evening trying to ignore the memories from an empty house, he spent it in the company of friends, laughing over old stories. Kono arrived with Longboards after her shift, and she eagerly joined in the fun.

With everyone pitching in, they finished setting up the place pretty early and had time to just hang out on the lanai before everyone started to leave, knowing that Steve needed some time to decompress and get his legs back underneath him.

Proof that you could take the man out of the SEALs but you couldn’t take the SEAL out of the man, Steve had changed his watch to the Hawaii-Aleutian Time Zone right after he’d checked in with the airline in DC, so he was handling the time change fairly well so far. After everyone had left, he’d changed into the pair of board shorts that someone had gotten him as a welcome gift and had gone for a long swim on the private beach, enjoying the pull from his muscles. Knowing what he had waiting for him, he hadn’t eaten much during the impromptu party, and he nuked one of the stuffed pretzels before settling down and checking his e-mails on his laptop. He’d handled most of the urgent matters during his layovers, but he didn’t feel comfortable staying out of touch for too long. Smiling, he opened an e-mail from Cat.

_Just checking in to see that you arrived safely. Made first contact?_

He typed, _I’m settled in at Dad’s house. Met the shop owner and got hired on, starting tomorrow. I’ll keep you apprised. Keep an eye on Dad._

After that, he scanned through the call list his assistant sent him, made a tentative priority list, responded to the easier e-mails, and decided to call it a night.

After all, he was starting a new job tomorrow.

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Friday nights, Danny found himself scrubbing the ovens, soaking the cooling rack trays, using the really good stuff to mop the floors. He scraped off the gum underneath the tables and found the coffee cups he’d managed to lose throughout the week. In between projects, he’d take some time and go upstairs with the girls, maybe use the air popper to pop them some popcorn while they watched their programs.

He sat on the sofa, trying to stay awake, while the girls sat enthralled with the many ups and downs in the world of sparkling horses. Or unicorns. He wasn’t sure which and didn’t really care. There were rainbows and sprinkles and floating colorful stars, and he just hoped that the girls didn’t get cavities from watching the show so much.

He had Kono to thank for that one. In fact, she was the reason they had so many choices. Once she’d stopped laughing at the fact that he still had a VCR and had gotten over the horror when he explained that he wasn’t planning on getting cable, she’d rallied the family and managed to unearth an amazing number of kids VHS tapes. He’d never admit to hiding the scarier ones that seemed to involve people wearing what looked suspiciously like sex toys. She’d even found a few action movies that Danny would fall asleep to on days when he couldn’t turn off his brain and one romcom that she’d forced upon him and that he secretly loved with a devotion usually limited to the Jets and the Knicks.

He blinked, and suddenly he had a girl on either side of him, their faces so close to his that he automatically pushed his head deeper into the sofa.

“Danno, is Kono leaving?” Grace, the regular spokesperson for the two, asked.

Damn, damn, damn. In his panic about the store, he hadn’t thought about the upheaval Kono’s departure was going to make into the girls’ lives. What a shitty father he was. And now, here he was, exhausted and unprepared, confronted with explaining the upcoming changes in a way that wouldn’t frighten them. 

“Yeah, baby, she is.” He pulled each girl to his side, holding them tightly. Infusing happiness into his voice, he said, “She’s going to be a police officer, like Chin.”

“Like you were once ‘pon a time?”

“That’s right. She and Chin are going to make sure that the islands are safe.”

“But can’t she make sure that we’re safe and still be here?”

“It’s not like you won’t see her again, Monkey. She’ll come to visit sometimes.”

“But who’s going to help us in the store?” Jenna finally spoke, rubbing her hand against her side. She didn’t do well to change, and this was one of the ways Danny could tell that she was upset about something.

“Remember Steve?”

“Pretty Steve?” Grace asked.

Danny let out a soft laugh. “Yes, Pretty Steve. He’s going to help us out until I can find someone else.”

Grace looked thoughtful, and Danny knew she was processing things. He waited patiently. “Is he nice?”

“I think he is, but I’m not sure he’s been around many kids,” Danny said, recalling the brief flash of panic he’d seen when Steve had looked over at them. “You tell me if he’s mean to you or if you feel uncomfortable around him, and he’s outta here. Okay?”

“Okay,” Grace said.

Danny tilted Jenna’s chin so she was looking him in the eye. “Okay, Bear?”

“Okay,” Jenna said seriously before beaming at him and giggling. “Pretty Steve.”

“Maybe we should just work on calling him Steve. I’m sure his self esteem will manage perfectly fine without hearing that nickname.”

Grace gave him that look that meant that she didn’t understand what he was saying, but she was going with it. “Okay.”

“Bedtime.” He tickled each one in turn, turning their groans and sighs into giggles, and walked them into their room. He snuck kisses as he pulled up their covers.

“Goodnight, my sweet girls,” he said.

“Goodnight, Danno,” they answered in unison.

Clicking off the light, Danny look longingly at his bed in his bedroom before heading back downstairs.

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Steve woke early, going through his exercises and running for about five miles before returning to the house for a shower. It felt a little surreal, living in the house that he hadn’t seen since he’d left the islands after high school, that he hadn’t actually _lived_ in since before his senior year. Everything seemed to have a memory attached to it. Sure, most of their family items were no longer around, but to be honest, Steve’s dad had never been one for displaying family memorabilia anyway. So here he was, in the same old house, but he’d changed so much. Shaking off his strange thoughts, he quickly showered, heated the last pretzel, and sat down at his computer to do a little research on one Danny Williams. 

He found surprisingly little. Evidently, Danny wasn’t much of a joiner, no Facebook or Twitter account, not even MySpace. Steve dug a little deeper and found a small article in a New Jersey cop site’s archives containing a grainy picture featuring a much younger Danny in uniform. Evidently, he’d gotten a commendation for helping to track down a serial rapist. Then he found a small article in a Hawaiian independent newspaper that mentioned Danny’s opening the Boones. But that was it.

He was going to have to go through Boone files and pull up Danny’s franchise application and the requisite background and financial checks. It wasn’t his first choice, because if he didn’t play it carefully, he’d attract Victor’s attention. He should’ve contacted Victor the moment he’d heard about the pineapple pretzel, but his gut told him that the VP of Franchising wasn’t as clean as he pretended. He hadn’t been able to find any proof, but that didn’t mean that Victor didn’t have something shady going on. Steve just hadn’t been able to find it. Yet.

Shutting down his laptop, he was surprised to find his plate empty. He’d thoroughly enjoyed his pretzel the night before and was disappointed that he hadn’t taken the time to enjoy this one as well.

The knock at his door surprised him. What didn’t surprise him was Kono’s opening it and sauntering in with Chin behind her.

“Isn’t it customary for people to wait for someone to open the door?” He asked mildly, gathering his papers and putting them in his briefcase. “I might‘ve been naked or something.”

Kono looked interested. “You make a habit of hanging out in your living room naked?” She pretended to take out a notepad and pencil. “What times do you do that?”

Steve laughed, motioning for them to sit.

“We brought you breakfast,” Chin said, holding up a bag.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Steve was touched – and appreciative, considering he hadn’t taken the time to go shopping yet.

“Don’t look so impressed,” Kono warned, “it’s not gourmet or anything.”

Chin pulled out a container of orange juice and a bowl of fruit and set them on the coffee table. “You look like you’re still a bit of a health nut.”

“Thanks.” Steve said, dragging the items closer. He wasn’t starving, but he felt guilty about eating so many pretzels. They weren’t terribly unhealthy, but by their very nature they contained quite a sizable number of carbs.

Leaning back, Kono tucked her legs underneath her and pulled her hair behind an ear. “We also came to give you some information on Danny.”

Mouth full of fruit, Steve just raised an eyebrow.

“We’re not telling you any secrets, but there’re some things you should probably know before you step in there today.”

Steve nodded.

Kono sighed and looked at Chin, who began. “Danny was an orphan, living in a group home in New Jersey when he met Rachel. She was at the orphanage too, so they had a lot of the same issues, as Danny likes to say. After a few years, when he’d just gotten out of the police academy, they got married. Rachel got pregnant pretty quickly after the wedding. She had Jenna, but she didn’t want to –” Chin paused, looking at Kono.

“She decided she didn’t want anything to do with a special needs child, so she split,” Kono finished with a glare. She caught Chin’s look and shrugged. “You never met her. I did once, and she was a real piece of work.”

Steve wasn’t sure how the story would progress, but he noticed Kono’s use of the past tense when she spoke of Danny’s wife, so he figured it wasn’t going to end well for Danny’s ex.

“Anyway,” Chin continued, “Danny quit his job so he could be there for Jenna. He met up with a nice older lady, what was her name?”

“Gladys,” Kono said.

Chin nodded. “Gladys, who owned a Boones, took him under her wing, teaching him the business and watching little Jenna whenever Danny needed some time.

“Then Rachel came back,” Kono said.

“Danny, being Danny, took her back. She was there long enough to get pregnant again, have the baby, and find another man before she left. Again.”

Steve wasn’t sure what horrified him more, the fact that this Rachel seemed like such a flight risk or that Danny let her treat him like a doormat.

His expression must have said it all, because Kono said, “He thought she was back for good. Turns out, she was only biding her time until she managed to nab herself a rich guy who didn’t mind taking on a perfectly healthy baby.”

“They moved here to Hawaii, and Danny and Jenna followed a little while after that." 

“I’m not sure what Danny did when he first got here; he doesn’t really talk about it,” Kono said, stealing a strawberry before Steve could bat her hand away. “But he had enough money to open the shop.”

“And then Rachel and Stan, her new husband, died in a car accident.” Chin added.

Steve lowered the orange juice, his attention focused on the tragic turn.

“So now, instead of having Grace whenever Rachel needed to attend some function or event,” Kono said disdainfully, “he got her fulltime. Which he loves.”

“He really does,” Chin said, grinning at Kono, who smiled back while they did that crazy cousin-telepathy thing they used to do back in high school.

Steve waited, amused, his eyes bouncing back and forth.

Kono was the first one to shake it off, and she smiled apologetically at Steve. “But the thing is,” she leaned closer to Steve as if she were just about to impart an important secret, “Danny got nothing from Rachel’s estate.”

Steve frowned. “Didn’t you say that her new husband was rich? And he didn’t have enough foresight to prepare for something like that?”

“He did,” Chin said, “for his two adult children from a previous marriage. Turns out, he didn’t feel the need to do the same for Grace.”

“What with her not being his kid and all,” Kono muttered, stealing another piece of fruit.

“You don’t know that was the reas –”

“Actually I do,” Kono interrupted, fire in her eyes. “Stan’s attorney visited Danny personally to let him know not to expect anything from the estate, that the bulk of it was going to Stan’s children with a small stipend to some local conservationist organization.” She seemed to notice Chin and Steve’s expressions, so she added with a shrug, “Danny’s still under the impression that I can’t hear what goes on in the kitchen when I’m at the front of the store.”

Steve grinned at Chin. “Was she always this scary?"

“Just don’t get on her bad side, and you’ll be fine,” Chin said, his light tone belaying his warning.

“We’re telling you all this, because Danny won’t, and you need to know what you’re up against.” Kono was silent a moment, obviously collecting her thoughts. “He has so many balls up in the air that everything is going to collapse around him if he doesn’t have help. He’s not good at asking for it.”

“And he’s proud. If for one moment he thinks you’re feeling sorry for him, he’ll give you the boot. And it won’t be pretty.”

“I get it.” Steve said, yanking his fruit away from Kono’s reaching hand, “He needs me.”

“More than you need him,” Kono said, eyeballing the room before returning her gaze to his. “Just be… careful with him. He’s not as tough as he pretends to be.”

After confirming that he did understand the warnings he’d been given, Steve managed to push the cousins out the door so he could do a little more work before heading in for his first shift. He tried to ignore the curl in his stomach as he pictured Danny, eyes narrowed as he took in Steve from head to toe.

 


	5. Chapter 5

As much as he hated to admit it, Danny was looking forward to Steve’s arrival. He kept telling himself it was because the girls hadn’t been outside all day or that he hadn’t had time to work on the dishes. While that was the truth, it wasn’t the entire truth. He found himself looking toward the clock every few minutes, picturing Steve’s heavy lidded eyes, the small smile the man had given him.

It didn’t help that the girls had seemed to have forgotten about their conversation the night before and were back to calling him, “Pretty Steve”.

Steve arrived ten minutes early for his shift, and Danny whispered a hallelujah under his breath in relief. He hadn’t realized until he set eyes on Steve that part of him hadn’t expected Steve to show up. He was still having a difficult time believing that someone like Steve – a former Navy SEAL so pretty he could model – would be interested in working minimum wage at a pretzel shop. Danny was so desperate that he wasn’t about to ask too many questions, so he just finished wiping off a table, smiled at Steve, and asked, “Ready to go?”

Steve smiled back, causing Danny’s stomach to flutter a bit. “I’m all yours.” He waggled his fingers at the girls coloring at their table, and they giggled, waving back at him.

Danny just turned around and headed behind the counter, pressing a hand to his stomach.

For the next few hours, Danny taught Steve everything from how to manipulate the antiquated cash register to how to tease the microwave into actually heating up a pastry. For the first time, Danny really saw how rundown the store had become. He didn’t have enough money to replace anything, so he and Kono had made due, coercing the machines to do their bidding. They’d been doing it so long that Danny never thought anything of it until now, as he moved from machine to machine, each one almost as old as Jenna. He tried to keep the embarrassed flush from his face as he explained it all to Steve. He couldn’t even look the other man in the eye as he finished ringing up a customer and resumed his training.

“I think I’ve got it,” Steve finally said. To his credit, he hadn’t mocked or rolled his eyes once at all of the details Danny had given him. Of course, that didn’t mean that any of the information had actually stuck in that beautiful head of his.

Danny’s hesitation must’ve shown on his face, because this time Steve did roll his eyes. “I know it’s been a while, but I think I can handle a cash register, microwave, coffee maker, and espresso machine. I know where you keep the gloves,” he patted the box next to the bake case, “and I know how much to charge for everything. Besides, you’re not going anywhere, right?”

“I need to do some dishes, bake up a few things,” Danny admitted reluctantly.

“So you’ll be in back if I need you,” Steve said, turning and smiling to a customer who’d entered the shop. The woman blinked, taking a step back, before walking up to the counter, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

Danny shook his head. First he had a multitude of male customers salivating after Kono. Now he was going to have to prepare for hoards of female customers trying to entice Steve. He completely ignored the fact that he kind of wanted to rip that woman’s hair out, then told his girls that he was going to be in the back. He swallowed a sigh and rolled up his sleeves to get to work on the dishes.

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If anyone would’ve asked Steve how he felt about returning to the front lines of the food service industry after so many years, he would’ve told them that he’d paid his dues, thanks, and didn’t feel the need to return to it. But now that he was here, gloves on his hands, heating up pretzels for customers, making them lattes and exchanging general pleasantries, he found that he’d forgotten how enjoyable it was. Instead of sitting behind a desk, he was constantly on the move. He didn’t have a secretary as a first line of defense, and no one deferred to him. Here, he could get a person something to eat or drink, and that was pretty much it. He found the lack of responsibility freeing.

Of course, being who he was, he couldn’t help noticing how moving the espresso machine to the other end of the counter could be more effective, and those damn notecards in the bakery case were annoying to the point of distraction.

He tamped down the urge to just… fix everything and put his mind on creating a plan. He’d experienced firsthand how Danny reacted to being questioned, so he had to come up with a way that Danny would accept these modifications for the benefits they were.

Danny’d kept the swinging doors to the kitchen open, obviously keeping an eye out for the girls, but Steve could tell that he himself was also under surveillance. It didn’t really bother him – in fact, he liked the idea that Danny could sneak a peek at him whenever he wanted. Of course it meant that Steve could do the same.

He was making an effort to get to know Danny’s daughters, although it took him out of his comfort zone. The only children he’d really been around were various kids who were fascinated by American soldiers in some of the places he’d been sent around the world. But he’d barely interacted with them, sometimes handing them a candy car or ruffling their hair as he walked by.

The girls were both really sweet, though, coloring and reading stories to each other. At one point, when Danny’d had to run upstairs, Steve had found himself looking for a clean ice scoop when he’d accidentally dropped one, and the younger girl, Grace, had pointed to the corner of the back counter.

He noticed that the other little girl, Jenna, just seemed to be filled with love. She smiled and hugged and giggled, and Steve found himself hyperaware when customers would look over in their direction.

Danny walked out and started reloading the bake case. “Why don’t you take lunch?”

Steve looked at his watch, surprised that it was almost six. Realizing that he was a little drained, he agreed and took off his apron.

“There’re a couple of good places to eat down the road.” Danny tilted his head toward the right.

“I thought I’d just get something here.”

“Okay,” Danny said, surprise in his voice. “You get a pretzel and a drink on the house.”

Steve smiled, remembering how that’d been the rule when he’d started working at the Annapolis store. He also remembered when corporate had decided to change the policy, instead allowing their employees a fifty percent discount. The server inside him had been disappointed, but his inner businessman understood the new policy. He said, “I thought they did away with that policy.”

“Hmm?” Danny asked.

“The free meal. I thought they changed it to discounted food.”

Danny shrugged as he re-plated the pineapple pretzels, moving the fresher ones to the front. “You’re my only employee, and you get one free pretzel and one drink per shift. It’s not like that’s going to make that big a difference on the bottom line. Besides, as good as these are, you’re not going to want to eat one everyday. Eventually, you’re gonna want to go outside, breathe a little air, have some variety.”

“What’s your favorite food?” Steve asked, curiously.

Danny moved on to the peanut butter and jelly. “We had macaroni and cheese last night.”

“That’s my favorite,” Grace piped up from the table.

“I like chili,” Jenna offered.

Danny gave Steve a faint smile. “That’s tonight.”

Steve smiled back but said, “I meant you.”

Danny paused, looking bewildered. “Um…”

“He likes bananas,” Grace said. “ ’specially when he cuts them up in cereal.”

Danny shook his head and mouthed, “She loves bananas.”

It seemed that seconds later, Steve was stepping outside, pineapple pretzel in one hand, disposable cup of tea in the other. As he winced at the bright light, he realized that Danny’d never answered his question.

 

That night, after a quick swim and shower, Steve sat in front of his computer in the living room, absently massaging the bottom of his foot with one hand and typing slowly with the other. He had so many ideas of how Danny could improve the shop that he decided to create a list so he could somehow formulate a plan to implement them. He knew he was going to have to take it slowly, but he was well versed in stealth.

He received an incoming message:

C. Rollins: How’s it going?  
S. McGarrett: What are you doing awake? It’s what? 2:30am there?”  
C. Rollins: Just got home.  
S. McGarrett: Do I even want to know?  
C. Rollins: That’s what you get for being so far away.  
S. McGarrett: Why are you online?  
C. Rollins: Actually, I was hoping to get hold of you, see how your first day went.  
S. McGarrett: He’s really in over his head.  
C. Rollins: Does that mean you’re going to shut down the franchise?  
S. McGarrett: He has two daughters and is doing his best.  
C. Rollins: So… you’re not going to shut it down?  
S. McGarrett: I’m getting the feeling that we’ve dropped the ball here. He’s smart, works hard, keeps a clean shop. But he doesn’t even have our food cards or aprons.  
C. Rollins: Did you finally ask Victor about it?  
pause  
C. Rollins: Okay, I’m going to take that as a no.  
S. McGarrett: I don’t want to go through formal channels yet. Can you see what you can find out on the QT?  
C. Rollins: I can chat up Victor’s assistant, Lori, see what I can squeeze from her.  
S. McGarrett: That’d be great. Just be careful. I don’t want Victor to get wind of this. At least not until I get a better handle on what’s going on.  
C. Rollins: You got it.  
S. McGarrett: And can you send me a few things?  
C. Rollins: Let me guess. Food cards and aprons?  
S. McGarrett: For starters, if you wouldn’t mind. I need the pre-printed cards with our food items. I’m having Charlie send me the program and some blank cards so I can add Danny’s original creations. Oh – and can you also have one of your people, someone you trust, do some pricing research? I think Danny’s charging way too little for Hawaii.  
C. Rollins: You’re lucky I like you.  
S. McGarrett: That and I’m your boss.  
C. Rollins: Leave it to you to go all logical on me.  
S. McGarrett: Your phone charged? Let me call you so you can tell me how things are going on your end.  
C. Rollins: You mean how your dad’s doing?  
S. McGarrett: That too.  
C. Rollins: Bring it, Loverboy.

Steve grinned, closing his laptop and picking up his phone.

 

A week later, after an early morning surfing session, Steve, Chin, and Kono sat on the lanai of a restaurant, having breakfast.

“So it’s going well at the shop? With Danny?”

“Actually, it is,” Steve said, watching the ocean.

“I love the fact that I’m finally getting to be a cop, but I really miss them,” Kono said wistfully. “Have the girls made you pictures?”

Steve had to laugh. “They have. Danny’s trying to get them to stop calling me ‘Pretty Steve’.”

Kono and Chin laughed too, Kono playfully pushing at his shoulder. “Well, you are pretty!”

Steve made a face at her.

Ever observant, Chin asked, “What’s the problem?”

Steve knew he couldn’t talk about his corporate issues; even if Kono weren’t with them, he had to keep certain professional concerns private. He trusted Chin, but just like in the Navy, some things were need-to-know, and Chin didn’t need to know. However, he could talk about his other concerns. He sighed, stretching out his legs. “Danny’s so damn bullheaded. The other day, I suggested that we move the espresso machine closer to the cups –”

“ – over to the right of the counter?” Kono asked.

“Yes! It makes more sense, right?” Steve asked.

“It does,” Kono agreed slowly.

“So I explained how moving it would increase productivity, showed him how it made more sense, and guess what he said?”

“No,” Kono said.

“He said no!” Steve lifted his arms and let them flop. “Even in face of overwhelming evidence that it would be better to move it, he just said no!”

“Of course he did,” Kono said.

“Did he do this to you too?”

“No, because I never suggested it.”

“Why not?”

“Because,” Kono said patiently, “we’re talking about Danny.”

Steve stared at her. “And?”

“And Danny’s very protective about the shop. Sometimes I get the feeling that he’s balancing on this very thin wire, and he’s worried that any change will make him fall.” She leaned forward. “You know how you get him to make a change? You make him think it was his idea.”

“And how do I do that?” Steve asked, frustrated. “He’s really smart. Observant. I totally understand how he could’ve been a good cop. It’s hard to pull one over on him.”

“Eh,” Kono shrugged. “He’s a man.”

Chin turned to look at her. “And what does that mean?”

Kono smiled. “Women have been changing things and letting men think it was their idea for centuries.”

Steve rolled his eyes but thought that Kono might be on to something.

The next day he waited for Danny to unlock the door for him, annoyed that Danny wouldn’t just give him his own key. Deciding to try Kono’s idea, he smiled when he saw Danny, coffee mug in hand, shuffling to the door.

“Morning,” Steve said.

Danny glared at him. “Swam your fifty miles this morning?” He turned for the coffee pot and refilled his mug.

“Only thirty today,” Steve said, continuing a running joke they’d begun his first week on the job. “Listen, I’ll be here tomorrow before we open, but I need to help a friend before I come in, so I might be a few minutes later than usual.”

“Okay,” Danny said, scratching at his jaw, following Steve into the kitchen so Steve could wash his hands.

Steve could tell he was trying to figure out how to rework his schedule so he’d be downstairs when Steve arrived instead of upstairs getting the girls ready for the day. “You want me to call you when I’m outside?” He’d seen Danny’s running up and down the stairs, trying to coordinate prepping the store and helping his daughters. If he couldn’t keep track of his coffee mug during all of that, there was no way for him to remember to hold on to the cordless phone. He was counting on Danny’s realizing that as well. If nothing else, maybe he’d get the number to the cellphone Danny had to be somehow hiding in those tight pants of his.

“I might miss your call while I get the girls ready, and I don’t want you cooling your heels out there.”

“I could come in through the service entrance, ring the bell,” he offered. He knew Danny hated the service entrance. The door had been damaged at some point and was a bitch to open and close.

“No,” Danny muttered. “I’ll just… figure out something.”

“I’m sorry,” Steve said, and he found that he meant it. He was sorry that everything was so difficult for Danny, that he didn’t have a support system to help him, that he made things even more complicated for himself because of his self-imposed walls. Steve was determined to break some of those walls down and help Danny, whether he wanted the help or not. He needed it. He needed Steve.

“You’re helping a friend,” Danny said, shrugging a shoulder.

“I could knock really loudly,” Steve suggested. “I remember working with a woman who would knock on the glass really hard with her keys. You could just keep an ear out.”

Danny paled, and Steve knew he was picturing his big glass window shattering.

“Let me think about it,” Danny muttered.

“Sure,” Steve said evenly, turning toward the bake case.

A few hours later, Danny walked up to Steve, key in his hand.

“Here,” he said gruffly.

Steve took the key, knowing how difficult it was for Danny to give up control. He immediately fished out his key ring and clipped in on with the others. “I promise I’ll take care good of it.”

Danny nodded, turning around to return to the kitchen. He paused, turned back, finger raised. “And don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing.”

Steve raised his eyebrows.

“I was married once; I know when I’m being manipulated.”

He didn’t seem upset, so Steve just grinned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The bell over the door ringing, announcing a new customer’s arrival, cut off the conversation.


	6. Chapter 6

Steve was hugging the girls goodnight when he heard, “Hey, can I get in on some of that?”

“Kono!” The girls pushed off Steve and directly into Kono’s arms.

Laughing, Kono looked at them. “You both’ve gotten so big!”

“It hasn’t been that long,” Grace sighed.

“But I’ve missed you that much!” Kono grinned at Steve.

Danny walked out of the kitchen, drying off his hands. “Hey, stranger! How’s the world of donuts and coffee?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Kono groaned. “Right now, I live in the world of books and classes. I needed a break and figured I’d come and say hello.”

Danny put a pineapple pretzel on a plate and brought it over to the girls’ table. “As you can see, Steve hasn’t burned the place down.”

Kono grinned, sitting down with Jenna on her lap. “Were we worried that it was going to happen?”

“He’s probably used to blowing stuff up, so…” Danny shrugged, throwing a grin over his shoulder.

Steve rolled his eyes. “I did a lot more than that, thank you very much.”

“He’s a natural at the espresso machine,” Danny admitted.

“Thank goodness! I have to admit that I was worried about that.”

Steve figured out his first shift that Danny was worthless with the espresso machine. Part of the problem was that he couldn’t remember the difference between a cappuccino and a latte – and why would he care to learn, since he preferred his morning brew made from an old, cantankerous drip machine? The other problem was that Danny couldn’t seem to hit the right buttons. There weren’t that many, but somehow even with Steve trying to talk him through it, Danny managed to make the worst espresso drinks he’d ever encountered. It made him wonder how Danny texted, but then he realized that he’d never actually seen Danny send a text. In fact, he suddenly realized that he’d never caught Danny using his cell phone.

“What’s wrong?” Kono asked, mouth full of pretzel.

“I’ve never seen Danny’s cell phone,” Steve said.

“He doesn’t have one,” Kono said. “He shares one land line between the shop and the apartment upstairs.” She smiled as Danny returned with a cup of coffee and deftly changed the subject. “I also came to tell you about this street fair that I heard about. It would give this place a lot of exposure, and I think you’d be able to pull it off without too much trouble.”

Danny sighed. “We’ve talked about this. I can’t close down the shop to work a street fair, and ‘without too much trouble’ is about three times longer what I don’t have.”

“I figured one of you could stay here and work the shop while the other worked the fair. If you just sold your pretzels, you’d only need a table big enough to hold and display them, a stack of your to-go containers, napkins, a chair for whoever’s minding the place, and a cash register – or just a calculator and a lockbox for the money.” Danny opened his mouth, but Kono continued quickly, “My auntie has three folding tables and tons of chairs she keeps for family gatherings, and she loves you and the girls, so she’d totally volunteer her stuff and knows you won’t run off with any of it. Chin and Malia have been wanting to take the girls on an outing, and both of them are free that day and hoping you’ll say yes. That only leaves a sign, a tablecloth, and those business cards you think I don’t know about.”

Danny flushed but shook his head. “How do you manage to fit in managing my life around the police academy? They must be slacking over there.”

“Nah,” Kono grinned, taking another bite. “I’m just that good.”

Steve took the moment to jump in. “One of my friends owes me one. I’ll borrow his truck for the day. I’ll even volunteer to man the table, keep your delicate skin out of the sun all day.”

Danny looked torn, like he was almost there; he just needed one more little push.

“Can we go to the fair with Chin and Malia, Danno?” Grace asked.

“Pleeeeaaasssseee?” Jenna drew out the word for an entire breath, her hands clasped and resting against her chin.

Danny crumbled like a wet tissue. He lifted his eyes to the ceiling, closed them, and sighed.

Immediately the girls started dancing around the table, singing, “Oh yeah, oh yeah!”

Rolling his eyes, Danny took Grace’s plate and headed toward the back.

Kono grinned at Steve. “That wasn’t too hard, now was it?”

Steve grinned back, pulling his keys out of his pocket and dangling them in front of her.

“Is that…?” She grabbed the key ring and separated the one for the shop, holding it close to her face. She looked at Steve, nodding. “I’m impressed! How’d you do it?”

“I took your advice.”

“So you made him think it was his idea?” She returned the keys and grabbed the two giggling girls, pulling one on each thigh.

“Kind of,” he hedged. Kono only had to stare at him a few moments before he broke. “He decided on it, but he saw through my attempt.”

“It still worked, though,” Kono shrugged. “That counts.”

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The next week had Danny spinning. On top of his normal routine – taking care of the girls, running the shop, placing the supply orders – he had to prepare for the upcoming street fair. Kono volunteered to fill out the form; Steve did some sort of calculations on his computer to come up with a projection that gave Danny an idea of the number of pretzels he needed to prepare. Danny managed to scrape together the money to guarantee his space; evidently, one of the organizers was one of Chin and Kono’s many cousins, and Danny was promised a prime location. Steve contacted his former store and managed to sweet talk them into giving him some food cards and aprons. Danny’d watched Steve bring them into the store, his heart sinking, because he just didn’t have the money to pay for all of that. Steve’d just shrugged, saying that they’d been extras, and the other store was happy to share with a fellow franchise. It sounded a bit hinky to Danny, but he was just so tired and so damn grateful for any kind of help that he took Steve at his word and resolved to take a closer look at it after the festival.

Danny stayed up the entire night before baking and packing up everything for Steve, praying that he’d at least make enough money to cover the amount he was out for the ingredients. If he made a little more to pay for the additional electricity used for the oven and the additional supplies, he figured he’d be a happy man.

The day started like most Hawaiian mornings, filled with clear skies and bright sun. His focus on baking meant that he hadn’t noticed it until the girls thumped down the stairs, sounding like an entire football team in full gear. Their excited voices raised to only-dogs-can-hear decibels, they tried to guess what fun they were going to have with Chin and Malia. Steve had arrived about half an hour before, pulling the truck up in front instead of the back, knowing that Danny hated the pull-and-shove he needed to do in order to push open the delivery entrance in the back. He never mentioned it to anyone, but the difficulty was another way of protecting his girls. Absolutely no one was going to get to them through that troublesome door.

He was standing at the front door waving goodbye as Grace held on to Chin’s hand, Jenna on Malia’s. He’d been so bogged in the details that he hadn’t had a chance to really think through the day, so the loss he felt took him by surprise.

They looked the way a family was meant to be, he thought as the girls got into the backseat of Chin’s car. A mom, a dad, two wonderful little girls, and a car to take them on all sorts of adventures. Once again, he worried about all of the things he was keeping his daughters from enjoying. Instead of outings to the beaches and attractions, they were stuck inside his pretzel shop. Grace had been invited to quite a few classmates’ birthday parties that she hadn’t been able to attend, and Danny didn’t even want to think about her own birthday parties, ones with just the family and the special people they’d found along the way – Kono, Chin, Malia. Maybe he was being selfish, keeping them from having a true life and a true family – 

Steve’s hands covered his shoulders, squeezing gently. “They’re in good hands,” he said.

Danny cleared his voice, running a hand over his face. He wanted to lean against Steve, press his head against Steve’s chest and feel the man’s steady heart beat. He wanted to say something flippant but found he just didn’t have it in him this morning. Maybe it was lack of sleep, but he felt raw, unprotected, and couldn’t manage to pull up his protective walls. “I know,” he said. “They looked like a perfect little family.”

This was the first time he and Steve had ever really touched – Danny’s dreams and daytime fantasies didn’t count – but before Danny could really enjoy it, he found himself whipped around until he faced an angry Steve. His first thought was that he’d given something away. Maybe he’d actually leaned against Steve. His second thought was that he was going to be up shit’s creek if Steve turned out to be homophobic and was quitting. He didn’t have a chance for a third panicked thought.

“You are a perfect family!” Steve’s voice wasn’t loud but firm. Determined. “Those little girls think the world revolves around you.”

“Because that’s all they know,” Danny couldn’t help saying. “At least Grace gets to go to school on the weekdays. Jenna spends all day, every day, in this place with me as her teacher. Even if I had a car, when would I take them places?” He broke away from Steve, pressing his palms against his eyes to keep them from tearing up. This was the kind of thing he pushed to the back of his mind, that only came out in the middle of the night when his defenses were low and all of his inadequacies came to call. He never thought of these things during the day, and he absolutely never spoke of them to anyone.

The only thing worse than the worry was being pitied.

“Sorry,” he said gruffly, once he had himself back in control. “I’m just tired.” He motioned toward the kitchen. “You sure you have everything?”

Steve continued to stare at Danny for a few seconds, Danny holding his eyes and trying not to fidget. Eventually, Steve nodded. “It’s all out in the truck.” He continued to hold Danny’s gaze, but Danny wasn’t sure what he saw there. Pity? Anger? Longing?

A customer entered the store, causing the spell to be broken. Exhaling quietly as he headed behind the counter, Danny shouted, “Keep me posted?”

“Will do, Danno,” Steve called, leaving before Danny could snap at him for using his daughters’ nickname for him. Again.

Danny rarely worked alone on the weekends, because the traffic tended to be just consistent enough to make it difficult to step to the back to do dishes and bake more pretzels. Plus, he was convinced that the espresso machine had a vendetta against him, spitting and wheezing like it did. He hated the damn thing. Grimacing, he twisted the portafilter off and added the ground coffee, packing it in with the tamper. He replaced the portafilter and hit the switch, turning on the timer. The water was still moving through the grounds at thirty seconds, and Danny glared at the machine. He’d never been able to consistently manage the technique of tamping down the grounds using the right amount of pressure to get the timing right.

“Damnit,” he muttered, discarding the grounds, rinsing it out and starting over. On the third try, he managed a twenty second shot and then looked at the milk, ready to be steamed.

He hated this damn machine.

All Gladys’d had was a coffee machine, and it had done them right. But that was a lifetime ago, and now one needed to be able to make lattes and, heaven forbid, flavored macchiatos.

Kono had printed out step-by-step instructions for the most common espresso drinks and brought them in with her on her third day. On her fourth day, she’d given him the number of a cousin with a used machine for sale.

It had only taken him three more days to give in and buy it.

But Kono had been the one who could sweet talk it, woo it to give her the perfect shot every time. All he managed to do was consistently throw his money in the trash, shot after shot.

She’d tried to teach him, “this is where you adjust the grind, because you tamp harder than I do,” but the directions didn’t stick. Thanks to more printouts from Kono’s computer, he’d figured out how to hook up the damn thing, and he had his detailed notes on cleaning it, but the day-to-day of it just sucked so very badly.

By nine that night, Danny had received four calls from Steve, one with the sound of a laughing Kono in the background and the others quickly telling him that Steve was very busy but sales were booming. Danny had also talked to the girls about six times, and he had only called for four of them. Chin had called once for Danny’s permission for the girls to ride a few of the rides, and Malia had called to see if the girls could spend the night.

He turned the sign to closed, locking the door, and headed back into the kitchen. Taking a look at the piles of baking trays and dirty dishes, he rolled back his sleeves and sighed, thinking longingly of the bed right above him. But even if he hadn’t had any dishes to do, he would’ve waited up for Steve.

It had only been a couple of weeks, but Steve had managed to steal his way into Danny’s thoughts and even his dreams, awakening longings Danny had thought he’d long buried. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Well, a part of him was quite interested, but that part needed to remain dormant.

Danny had never been one for flirting. He’d married his only girlfriend, and while that relationship had pretty much carved out part of his soul, it had left him with two beautiful reasons for living.

He knew now that while he’d loved Rachel, he’d never really been in love with her. He’d wanted a family, people who belonged to him, a place he could call home. He’d thought Rachel wanted that too. It turned out that she did, just not with a special needs child, and definitely not with him. Rachel had left, but she’d left him Jenna, the one person who loved him without question, without exception. She became his heart, his family.

A part of him knew that when she returned, Rachel wasn’t going to stay. He’d taken her back because he’d thought maybe she’d realized what she’d lost when she’d left them, and everyone deserved to have a safe haven. He knew Gladys thought he was setting himself up to be hurt again, but Rachel had broken a part of him when she had left the first time, and he just didn’t have it in him to offer it to her again.

He’d basically shut down that part of his life the moment Rachel left them again. He’d been forced to focus on the most important parts of his life: his daughter and providing for her – and finagling as much time with his other daughter as he could convince Rachel to give him.

And now, years later, a tall, sleepy-eyed ex-SEAL stumbled into his life and awakened long-dormant feelings. He didn’t even do anything special, not that Danny had noticed. He was just… Steve. He played with the girls, helped customers with that smile of his. He stepped in when Danny was ready to kick a customer’s ass or set that damn espresso machine on fire. He was there, all solid and sexy and reliable. Sometimes Danny would look at him, and just for a moment the panic that permanently held his heart in its grip would loosen enough for him to take a pain-free, stress-free breath.

Danny didn’t realize he’d fallen into some sort of trance until he felt a hand on his arm and traced it up to Steve’s concerned face. “Danny? You okay?”

“Yeah,” he frowned, clearing his voice.

“Did you get any sleep last night?”

Danny tried to relay with his look how stupid the question was but couldn’t help but say, “I got lots of sleep last night, right after I put the girls to bed three times – because they were so excited about their day with Malia and Chin – and baked the pretzels for you today and then cleaned those baking pans. Of course, then it was time to make the pretzels for the shop this morning, and since I was going to be tending the shop alone, I wanted to try to make enough to keep me this afternoon. But after I washed those dishes, I slept like a baby.”

Steve held up his hands but grinned. “Sorry I asked.”

Danny huffed at him and dried his hands on his apron. “Need help unpacking the truck?”

“Nope,” Steve said. “We sold out before the festival even ended. I made the deposit and returned all the stuff, including the truck.”

It took a few seconds for the news to sink in. “You sold all of them?”

Steve gave him a wide smile. “All of them.” He dug into his picket and pulled out a deposit receipt, handing it to Danny.

Danny looked at the receipt and couldn’t believe Steve had made that much. “Are you serious?” He did some easy calculations in his head and realized that they’d turned a profit. It wasn’t a huge amount, but it suddenly felt like his extra effort had actually gotten him somewhere.

“I have an idea. Come to my place; let me cook for you for a change.”

Danny blinked up at him, trying to remember the last time he’d gone further than to Grace’s bus stop. “I have to get up early –”

“You always have to get up early.” Steve turned Danny around, his hands brushing against Danny’s waist as he loosened the apron strings. Danny tried not to flinch at the warmth. “Tonight Chin and Malia are spoiling the girls, and I suspect that Kono’s probably going to pay them a visit.” The breath from his huff of laughter smoothed over Danny’s cheek. “So you’re going to put down this beautiful new apron and come to mine for a nice grilled steak and vegetables.”

“Vegetables, huh?”

“You know, those things you put on the girls’ plates but don’t seem to make it on to yours.”

Danny didn’t mention that he usually grabbed some right out of the pot, because he knew that he could spare that and still have enough to feed the girls the next night. Instead, he glared. “I eat my vegetables, thank you very much.”

“Great. Go upstairs and grab some stuff, because I have a very comfortable guest bedroom with your name on it. I promise I’ll get you here tomorrow in time to make the pretzels,” Steve said before Danny could do more than open his mouth.

Danny hesitated. He wanted to go. He really wanted to go, which was why he was holding back.

“Fine,” Steve said, heading for the stairs. “I’ll go pack you up.”

“I got it,” Danny said, shooting into action. Kono and Steve had both been upstairs, but their trips were as quick as possible. It was cozy with him and the girls, but he couldn’t help but see the place through others’ eyes when they climbed the stairs, and he had to swallow the excuses, the sense that he should be giving his daughters more. The apartment always looked too small when others came upstairs. He threw a change of clothes and some toiletries in one of Grace’s old backpacks and was downstairs in less than five minutes.

Steve stood in the dark by the front door, the outside streetlight angling across his face.

Danny felt himself slow, taking in the sharp angles, that sexy lower lip. His body reminded him that it had been a long time; his mind told his body to shut up and go right back to sleep.

Steve turned and smiled at him, the force of his fond gaze making Danny ache in that good way he hadn’t felt in years. “Ready?”

“Yeah,” Danny said, clearing his voice and setting the alarm before following Steve out of the shop and turning to lock the door.

They remained silent until they got into the car, and Steve slid the key home. He grinned. “Nice backpack.”

“Shut up and drive,” Danny muttered, pulling Dora a little closer to his side of the vehicle.


	7. Chapter 7

Steve had to smash down the exultant feeling that tried to rise inside him every time he looked over and realized that it was actually Danny sitting beside him. He’d had lots of dreams about the other man over the past weeks up and down the rating scale, but the one that zapped through him and gave him the strongest longing was having Danny seated next to him in this very truck. The fact that he’d somehow managed it threatened to overwhelm him, making him realize that maybe the other fantasies might actually come true as well.

He’d been attracted to Danny from the moment they met, but he hadn’t been quite sure about Danny’s feelings. Danny’s ex proved that he was definitely attracted to women. Steve’s time in the Navy made his circumspection second nature, although to be honest, he hadn’t had that difficult a time with being bisexual. So he sat back and observed, and what he learned had given him room for hope.

Not that Danny was obvious about his attraction, but Steve saw the way Danny’s eyes focused on his arms when he was gathering the garbage or the way his eyes jerked up from Steve’s ass when Steve turned around.

Steve tended to go for tall, introspective, dark haired men and women, so Danny, with his blond hair and compact size was as far from his type as one could get when looking at it superficially. But Danny’s body was fantastic. His chest, bisected by those stupid ties he insisted on wearing, strained his button-down shirts, his tight pants cupping his ass spectacularly. His smile brightened the room. Normally Steve found rants like Danny’s, complete with dramatic arm flourishes and theatrical expressions, tiresome, but for some reason, not only did he enjoy the hell out of them, but he found himself quietly egging them on from time to time.

Even more compelling was Danny’s devotion to his friends and daughters. Those two little girls didn’t seem to comprehend the idea of rejection. Sure, Danny didn’t have the money or resources to take them places, but they knew that he loved them more than anything else in the world, and that was better than any trip. Steve watched Kono visit, Danny automatically sliding food and drink in front of her, asking about her studies, watching her closely to make sure she was doing okay. She always rolled her eyes at him, but it was obvious that she too basked in Danny’s concern and attention.

There were also two homeless men who hung out around the corner from the shop, right in the path of Grace’s bus stop, and Steve knew for a fact that those men were fed a variety of pretzels and coffee regularly.

And the more Steve saw of Danny’s operation, the more impressed he grew. With just enough assistance from the corporate office to have hung himself if he’d been less of a businessman, less of an entrepreneur, less knowledgeable about Boone Pretzels, Danny had pulled himself up by his fingernails. Sure, he was barely making ends meet, but without his determination and intelligence, he wouldn’t have made it three months.

And that was what incensed Steve. Here was a golden opportunity, both for Boone and for Danny, and it was all being pissed away by a failure on corporate’s side. Catherine had sent him information she had gotten from Hesse’s assistant, but between the street fair and his own workload, he found himself too exhausted at night to go through it. He’d only planned on being there for two weeks and had managed to push it to a month, but he knew he was running out of time and found that he didn’t particularly want to fly back to the East Coast.

Realizing that train of thought was causing him to clench his hands on the steering wheel, he forced himself to relax, throwing a smile toward a suspicious Danny. “What?”

“What’s with that face?”

“What face?” Steve made sure he maintained a neutral expression.

“That someone-kicked-my-dog face.”

Steve blinked. “No one kicked my dog.”

“I don’t mean literally –”

“I don’t even have a dog.”

“That’s not – ” Danny sighed, and Steve had to turn away slightly to hide his smile. “You’re obviously thinking about something that’s pissing you off. Did something happen today?”

“No,” Steve said. “It’s just something that’s going on with my father’s business, but it’s not really important.” He ignored the pang of guilt at his evasion.

“Do you want to talk about it? Maybe brainstorm a bit?”

“It’s not that big of a deal,” Steve said.

“Sometimes all you need is a fresh point of view.”

Danny’s generosity just made Steve feel even more of a shit for his lies, and he felt his defensiveness growing. “Seriously, don’t worry about it.”

“You’re worrying about it, so what’s the problem with sharing?”

“What would you know about it?” Steve snapped, clamping his lips closed too late to hold back the words.

After a short pause, Danny asked, “And what does that mean?”

Steve sighed, parking in his driveway. He shouldn’t have said it, but now that it was out there, he found that he didn’t want to take it back. Turning off the engine, he faced Danny. “I know you’re having a tough time making ends meet, but whenever any of us ask you about it, you just blow us off.”

“I’m doing ok –”

“If you say that you are doing okay one more time…” Steve warned.

Danny looked down at his lap for a moment, then looked back up at Steve. He sighed, scratching the top of his nose before staring unseeingly out the window. Figures that the one time Steve wanted Danny to talk, the man suddenly found himself wordless. The conflicted look in the other man’s face made Steve want to pull him close and hold tight, promise that he’d be there to help. But he knew Danny was too proud for that, so he waited.

Finally, Danny turned back to him. “Do you mind if we –” He gestured toward the house.

“Sure,” Steve said, trying not to sound too eager. He led the way, unlocking the door and disabling the alarm before nodding to the back of the house. “I’ll give you a tour later. Head out to the lanai, and I’ll grab a couple of beers.” Without waiting to see if Danny followed his instructions, Steve sped into the kitchen, grabbed the steaks he’d been soaking in a marinade since that morning, and quickly dumped some ice and a six pack of Longboards into a small cooler before walking out to the lanai in a determinedly casual pace.

Danny was draped over the chair Steve never used, his shoes on the ground like they’d been kicked off. He stared, as if mesmerized, at the water as it lapped up on the shore.

Steve stood in the doorway, watching the moon create a halo effect around Danny’s blond hair. It was still swept back with whatever mystery products Danny used to keep it tame, and Steve clenched his hand around the cooler handle to stop himself from running his hand through it to see if it felt as soft as it looked.

“You know, it’s physically impossible for me to drink my beer while it’s hanging out in the doorway with you,” Danny muttered without turning his head.

Grinning, Steve walked until he was flush with Danny’s chair, twisting open the top of a bottle before handing it to Danny. Opening his own, he tapped his against Danny’s before taking a sip.

Staring out at the ocean, Steve found himself enjoying the stillness, of just relaxing in the moment with Danny. He realized that he rarely did this, just let the time pass. And he knew for a fact that it definitely wasn’t something Danny did often either. Besides the fact that Danny had the store and the girls, he was a natural talker who couldn’t seem to sit still to save his life. Now Steve knew that Danny was capable of it. While it wasn’t something he was used to, it was a nice change, just being here and relaxing with Danny.

He fired up the grill, setting the container with the steaks aside while it warmed and sitting down in his chair with a happy sigh.

Eventually, as Steve knew he would, Danny broke the silence. “I’m not sure what Chin and Kono have already told you,” he slid a knowing glance over to Steve before resuming his inspection of the small private beach, “but I grew up in a series of foster and group homes. They weren’t ‘Oliver’ bad or anything, but nothing was ever permanent, so we never really developed attachments. I mean what’s the point if you’re just going to another place with more new people in a few weeks or months, right?”

Steve didn’t bother pretending that he wasn’t watching Danny anymore. He could tell by the wave of Danny’s hands that he was acting like his past didn’t bother him, but Steve knew that it had to have been a tough way to grow up. He’d had his issues with his family, but at least he’d always had a family.

“I’d run into Rachel at a group home, but we didn’t really connect until a few months after I’d graduated from the academy – she literally ran into me one day, and I offered to give her driving lessons. Obviously, she didn’t have any family either, and we kind of started making one of our own. It was a going pretty well, too. I had a job I loved, a woman who understood me. Then Rachel became pregnant. That was a really happy time.” He frowned, absently picking at the label on his bottle. “We were young and healthy, and we weren’t used to regular checkups, so it didn’t occur to either of us that Rachel needed prenatal care. We didn’t know Jenna had Down syndrome until after she was born, which was probably a good thing.” He looked over at Steve, gave him a small, pained smile. “Rachel kind of tuned out once she realized that Jenna wasn’t the perfect baby she’d planned on having. She’d have probably snuck somewhere and terminated if we’d found out beforehand, but I can’t imagine not having my baby around.”

Danny thought back to that time, wondering how he had managed to survive it. They’d been so young, so unprepared, and so certain of the direction of their life. Jenna’s arrival had definitely put a spoke in their wheel, but Danny’d known the moment he’d held her in his arms that he wouldn’t have chosen any differently.

Rachel had been another matter. With hindsight, he now saw that her definition of “family” didn’t allow for anything that might put in danger the life she had created. She looked at Jenna and saw someone who threatened her future happiness. While he didn’t agree with it, he tried to understand it.

“So she left,” Steve said, reminding Danny that he had gotten wrapped up in his own musings.

He sighed. “Yes, yes she did. She just couldn’t handle it. But thankfully I had Gladys. She lived in our apartment building back in Jersey and is probably the only person I’ve ever really relied on, although I think it was partially because I was a new, desperate father and partially because she wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

Steve smiled faintly, getting up and putting the steaks on the grill.

Danny snorted. “I know what you’re thinking over there, SuperSEAL.”

Shrugging, Steve said, “You aren’t the easiest person to help.”

“Back then I was young and scared. I needed all the help I could get.” Danny sighed. “Anyway, I was this young single father with a special needs kid, and even with Gladys’ help, I couldn’t keep a normal cop’s hours. So I had to find another gig, something that let me put food on the table, keep a roof over our heads, and gave me quality time with her.”

Those days had been tough. Being a detective was all he’d ever wanted to be, so it’d broken his heart to have to turn in his badge. His last day, he’d come home and crawled into bed behind Jenna, holding her close and forcing the tears at bay. It’d taken a long time for the pain to settle into something bearable, but it only took a look at his beautiful daughter to remind him that he he’d made the right decision.

“Gladys and her husband owned the Boone Pretzels right down the street, and she’d kept the shop even after he died from a heart attack. Two years later, we moved across the hall. She gave me a job, trained me, watched Jenna, and was pretty much my guardian angel.”

“And then Rachel came back,” Steve said into the silence as he returned to his chair.

“And then Rachel came back,” Danny agreed, not surprised that Steve had figured it out; what a putz he’d been. But at the time, he’d felt like he’d been given a second chance at having a family. If Rachel hadn’t been as… free with her love toward Jenna, he’d chalked it down to her just needing to get to know her now three-year-old daughter. Jenna, for her part, didn’t seem to notice anything amiss, for which Danny was forever grateful. “And it was good, or at least I thought it was.” To this day, Danny still didn’t know if Rachel had just been pretending to be happy. “She got pregnant again, with Grace, and man, I was over the moon. This time we did all the tests, went to all the doctor’s appointments.” He’d been a little panicked at the time; a manager’s salary didn’t afford them a lot of luxuries, but Rachel and Jenna had both seemed happy, so he’d pushed his worries to the back of his mind and focused on his growing family.

“A little after Grace turned a year old, Rachel got a part time job as a receptionist at this real estate firm. It really helped ease the pressure financially, and Gladys was still our go-to babysitter. We didn’t see each other much, though, because of my hours.

“Then one day, I come home, and Rachel and Grace are just. Just gone. She’d left Jenna with Gladys and a note on the kitchen table saying that she’d met someone else.”

Steve shifted, his hand reaching out, only to still and fall to his side.

Danny smiled faintly, part of him wishing Steve hadn’t held back, another part of him a little too wrapped up in the past to be able to appreciate it. “It took me about a week to realize that I didn’t miss Rachel as much as I thought I would.” He cracked a smile. “I will admit that my intense hatred for her taking Grace might’ve had a little to do with that.”

“You still got visitation, right?”

“One evening every two weeks.” Danny let his head fall back and closed his eyes. “I’d thought her leaving the first time was the hardest thing I’d ever lived through, but at least she’d left Jenna with me.”

“How did Jenna take it?”

“I don’t think she ever really understood why her mother and sister suddenly disappeared. I tried explaining it to her, but I was having a tough time wrapping my head around it too. Once again, Gladys was a lifesaver.” Danny drained the last of his beer and gently set it on the small glass table. “Until Rachel informed me that she and Stan were moving to Hawaii.”

“What’d your attorney say?”

Danny snorted. “I’d used up all of my savings with the medical bills and the divorce, and Stan was rich. You do the math.”

“So you ended up here in Hawaii.”

“I did. Gladys passed away and left me everything.” Danny had to pause a moment. She had given them so much, even in death. He missed her presence, kept pictures of her in their small apartment so the girls would always know who she was, even if they didn’t remember her. “Turns out, she also owned the apartment building, so I sold the building and her franchise, which was just enough to get me started here.

“Six months later, Rachel and Stan died in a car accident, and I had Grace fulltime, which you know, is a mixed blessing there.”

Steve nodded.

Grace’d had to handle so much transition, first dealing with the death of her mother and stepfather. She also moved from a house one step below a mansion to a cramped two bedroom attached to the shop. She’d been used to drivers, private tennis lessons, trips to the beach and other islands on boats with floors that let you see the ocean life, and in one night, her radius shrank considerably. She’d also had to change schools, because even if Danny could afford to keep sending her to that private school, he couldn’t get here there without a car – or without spending time away from the store to take the bus to drop her off and pick her up. And then there were the uniforms and all of the other extraneous fees she needed to keep up with the others. So to public school she went.

She also had to adjust to new family dynamic. It was one thing to visit and spend a Friday or Saturday night – depending on Rachel’s schedule – every other week. It was quite another to suddenly find herself with them permanently. It’d been really hard on her, but with time, and quite a few temper tantrums and tears, she’d slowly acclimated and found her happiness.

Jenna, on the other hand, had been ecstatic that her baby sister was moving in with them. Rachel had been this shadow, someone she recognized but didn’t love like she’d loved Gladys. So Rachel’s death hadn’t made much of an impact on her emotionally. What she did understand was that the sister she idolized was moving into her room, and they were going to spend more time together than ever. Her enthusiastic, unconditional love and impromptu hugs had gone a long way in helping them all adjust to the new dynamic.

“And here we are,” Danny said, arms spread. “I guess I’m just so used to relying on myself that it’s become a habit.”

 

Steve thought it was more likely that Danny didn’t want to put his trust in someone only to have them disappear like Rachel. It sounded like the only person who’d ever been there for Danny had been Gladys, and even she’d passed away. She had essentially left Danny too, even though it hadn’t been her fault. Steve, of all people, knew that feelings rarely cared about the facts.

“And I’m sick of talking about me. Tell me about yourself. All I really know is that you worked at a Boone before you went into the Academy, you have a younger sister who drives you crazy, your father had some sort of health crisis a few years ago and is having some sort of issues now with his business, and you used to be in the Army.”

“The Navy. I was in the Navy,” Steve said, sighing. They’d had this conversation multiple times, and eventually Steve’d realized that Danny was smart enough to remember what branch; he just liked pushing Steve’s buttons. But even knowing that, Steve fell for it every time.

“Right. Big bad SEAL,” Danny said, grinning as he reached for another beer in the cooler. “So spill. Take my mind of my problems by telling me yours.”

“I don’t have any problems,” Steve said, and for the moment, it felt true. He was sitting on his old lanai with a new good friend, enjoying a cold beer and the beautiful Hawaiian evening.

“Really?” Danny turned to face Steve. “So, why don’t you ever mention your mother?”

Steve automatically stiffened, then forced himself to relax. “She died of breast cancer when I was fourteen.”

After a pause, Danny reached out, pressing his hand against Steve’s wrist. “That must have been rough.”

“She’d been diagnosed about two years before. She’d tried everything, surgery, chemo… by the end, she was so tired and so damn thin. She just wanted the pain to go away.”

“Doesn’t mean you don’t miss her.”

Steve nodded slightly, conceding the point. She’d always been the mediator between him and his dad. After their blowouts, she’d come into Steve’s room and explain his dad’s point of view. Then he’d hear her walk into the garage, where his dad tended to let out his frustrations on a 1974 Mercury Marquis he claimed to be restoring. He’d hear the murmurs and figured she was explaining his side to his dad. They hadn’t managed to figure out a way to talk to each other until after his dad’s heart attack two years ago, and even now things tended to be a bit formal between them.

He found himself explaining that to Danny, telling him things he hadn’t told anyone before.

“So you grew up here?” Danny asked.

Steve nodded. “In this very house, in fact. My grandfather – my mom’s dad – died a couple of years after mom. He ran the family owned business out of Washington, DC, and dad moved out there to take over. Chin’s parents took me in so I could finish my last two years here at Kukui High.”

“So let me get this straight: you’ve essentially been in the Marines since college, and you suddenly decide to retire from there without a plan? That doesn’t sound like you.”

“I retired from the Navy as soon as I could after dad’s heart attack,” Steve said, knowing he was heading into dangerous territory. He didn’t want to lie to Danny, but he knew he couldn’t tell him the entire truth. Not yet. “I did my best to step into his shoes while he was recuperating, but he’s pretty much back to full speed, so I need to figure out where to go from here.”

“And you can take the SEAL out of the Navy, but you can’t take the Navy out of the SEAL?” Danny guessed.

Steve shrugged. It was true that he’d had a difficult time rejoining civilian life, and he still had days when dressing in a suit and spending the entire day in the office made him want to scream, but he found that he was pretty good at his job. “I don’t hate the work, but I meant what I told you when we met. I’m still trying to get used to living my own life.” He sighed. “I don’t know that I want to work in the family business.”

“You weren’t sure if you’re there for you or for your father?”

Steve opened his mouth to refute Danny’s words, but something in them rang true. “I want to make sure I’m taking my own path, not someone else’s.”

“That’s fair,” Danny said. “How does your father feel about that? Wait. Let me guess. You haven’t told him.”

“Dad’s the type of man who responds better to a plan.”

“Hmm,” Danny said, eyeballing Steve.

“What?” Steve asked, feeling defensive without knowing exactly why.

“Maybe that’s something you two have in common.”

Steve huffed a laugh, taking a sip of his beer and looking back toward the ocean. “Maybe.”

They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, before Danny said, “So I admit that I’m not good at accepting help, but I will try – try – to keep an open mind. How’s that?”

“Does that mean I get to move the espresso machine?” Steve asked hopefully.

“Yes,” Danny groaned, “as long as you take care of all of the wires and hoses – and you agree to hook it back up if I decide that it needs to return to its original location.”

Steve didn’t miss that Danny was going to make the final decision, but it was his shop, so it made total sense. “Deal.” He smiled and stood, checking on the steaks. “These should be ready in a couple of minutes. I’m going to go make a quick salad.”

“I’ll be right here,” Danny muttered sarcastically, making Steve smile.

Because he ate salads at least four times a week, Steve’d developed an easy routine, emerging less than ten minutes later, carrying two large, colorfully filled bowls. He placed them on the living room table placemats and headed outside to grab Danny and the steaks.

“So we can either cut up the steaks into pieces and add them to our salads or – ” Steve walked out the lanai, serving plate in hand, to find Danny fast asleep in his chair.

Sleeping, he looked almost as stressed as he did when he was awake, the lines between his eyebrows still pronounced. Steve gave in to his urge and gently ran a finger over them, smoothing them out. Danny sighed, nudging a little closer to his hand, and suddenly he found himself caressing Danny’s cheek, feeling the stubble scratch against his palm.

What he’d come to learn these past few weeks was that despite his gruffness and bluster, Danny’s heart was almost bigger than he was. Steve wasn’t sure how, considering how he’d grown up, but Danny’s compassion and inner strength awed him. Unfortunately, while he was willing to give so much of himself to others, he consistently refused help from them, and things were just getting a little over his head. He’d been walking a tightrope for quite a while now, and all it would take was one strong tug, and he would lose his balance. Steve had no doubt he’d go down fighting, but he didn’t want Danny to go down at all.

Danny’d made a huge concession tonight, agreeing to at least hear Steve out on his ideas, and Steve made a mental note to print out the list he’d been compiling. He’d take it easy and maybe mention only one or two a day, see how Danny handled them. Eventually, maybe Danny would let Chin, Malia, and Kono help a little as well.

Suddenly, Danny’s eyes were on him, still intense despite his sleepiness. He didn’t say anything, didn’t shift away, just continued to stare, effortlessly ratcheting up Steve’s heartbeat and making it absolutely impossible for Steve to look away.

Finally, Steve whispered, “Dinner’s ready.”

“Thanks,” Danny said, just as quietly.

Steve reluctantly stepped back, dropping his hand, and turned his focus to the steaks on the grill, using the tongs to pick them up and drop them on the dish in his other hand.

“Uh, where can I – ” Danny rubbed his hands together.

“There’s a bathroom to the right of the front door,” Steve said, enjoying Danny’s sleepy smile as he ambled inside.

As if by unspoken agreement, they didn’t talk about anything heavy during dinner. Danny explained his daughters’ nicknames (Jenna was called Bear because of how she’d growled as a baby; Grace got the nickname Monkey because she climbed on everything when she was little); Steve shared some of his sister’s ‘adventures’ and some unclassified adventures of his own. While he hadn’t been on the job long, Danny’d had a few adventures himself as a Jersey cop, and he shared those.

After dinner, Danny borrowed Steve’s cell and called Chin, wishing the girls goodnight and giving Chin and Malia nighttime and morning instructions before reluctantly hanging up.

Steve listened as he cleaned up; there wasn’t much to do, so he was finished pretty much the same time Danny finished his phone call.

They fell on the sofa, Steve turning on the TV and handing the remote to Danny, who looked at it with a small smile and handed it back. “Babe, I haven’t watched grown up TV since before Bear was born.”

Steve refused to take it, shaking his head. “Then it’s about time you caught up a little. Go crazy; hit some random numbers.”

Danny laughed. “You’re a goof.” After channel surfing for a good two or three minutes, Danny finally settled on a sports channel. “I can’t even tell you how long it’s been since I’ve seen a football game!”

Fifteen minutes later, he was asleep again.

Steve sat there, watching him until he decided it was getting a little creepy. He locked up the house and got himself ready for bed before waking up Danny and leading him to the guest bedroom, grabbing Danny’s backpack as he followed the man upstairs.

“Thanks,” Danny muttered, absently patting Steve on the chest before stumbling over to the bed and collapsing over it.

Once he realized that Danny wasn’t planning on moving, Steve dropped the backpack by the door and walked into the room. He took off Danny’s shoes, placing them neatly beside each other by the door and shifted Danny around, pulling at the blankets until he had gotten Danny tucked in. Danny barely stirred, snuffling into the pillow.

Steve went to his own bed, imagining Danny curled around him instead of the pillow, snuggling his nose into Steve’s neck.


	8. Chapter 8

The next few days, Steve found that his relationship with Danny had changed. They still argued, and Danny still called Steve a “goof” more often than not, but they seemed to stand closer to each other, finding excuses to squeeze an arm or pat a back. They smiled at each other more often, their eyes meeting and holding a lot longer.

The girls must’ve somehow picked up on it, because at some point during the week, “pretty Steve” morphed into “Uncle Steve”, and they gave him random hugs during the day just like they did their dad and Kono. He’d been shifting a few things on the back counter around – the space the espresso machine had vacated had opened up the back counter for all sorts of improvements, and Danny’d finally thrown up his arms and told Steve to “do what you want and stop complaining about it!” – and Jenna had put down her pencil, run behind the counter, and ambushed Steve with a hug from behind, saying, “I love you, Uncle Steve.” She’d grinned at him and returned to her table and workbook, but Steve’d had to take a moment to let his heart return to normal. He had also had to wipe a bit of dust out of his eye, and he looked up to find Danny grinning softly at him from the kitchen doorway.

H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0

Kono stopped in on Wednesday, handing Danny a bright yellow flyer after she’d stopped by Jenna’s table and given her a big hug and kiss. “Felix from the Big and Tall shop on the corner asked me to give this to you. He said he knows you never come to them, but he won’t keep asking.” She gave him a grin.

Danny grabbed the flyer, looked at the back, and put it on Jenna’s table upside down so she could use it for a coloring page.

Kono snatched it and once again held it out to him. “Stop giving these to her as drawing paper. You should go.”

Danny glared, hoping she knew that it was at both her and the flyer. “While they’re drinking coffee, eating cookies, and chatting about the weather, I’m serving customers, helping Grace with her homework, making dinner for the girls, and washing dishes. I don’t have time to network, thank you very much.”

“I could stay,” Steve offered, walking out from the kitchen, drying his hands on a towel.

“Felix said that they’re going to talk about putting on a street fair like the one Steve went to the other week.”

“I sold out, and business has picked up since then,” Steve reminded him.

As much as it pained him to admit it, Danny knew that Steve was right. Quite a few customers had mentioned learning about his shop from the street fair. To be honest, though, many were very good looking women who kept playing with their hair and grinning up at Steve. Danny was beginning to think he should’ve just foregone all of the expense and time to bake the food and just sent Steve out there naked except for a placard bearing the name and address of his shop.

Of course, that would mean that people would see him naked. People that were not him. He found that he didn’t like that idea at all.

He knew it wasn’t really fair. After all, he’d decided when they first met that he didn’t have the time for a romantic relationship. The problem was, it was easy to stick by that when he didn’t know if Steve even liked men in general or Danny in particular. But lately, he’d found himself flirting and thought that maybe Steve had been flirting back.

At the ripe old age of thirty-seven, he’d had a number of encounters but very few relationships of any kind. It had taken Rachel pretty much attacking him one night for him to realize that she’d really been interested in more than driving lessons from him.

But the night at Steve’s – which he had really, really needed, it turned out – had made Danny start to wonder if maybe the attraction went both ways. He wasn’t really sure what exactly he could do about it; after all, his busy schedule wasn’t just an excuse. If he wanted something with Steve, he’d have to somehow fit it around the shop and the girls. Romantic dinners would have to be the four of them, with such gourmet dishes as mac and cheese or spaghetti; movies would contain cartoons more often than not and wouldn’t be rated higher than G.

But it wasn’t as if Steve didn’t see firsthand Danny’s busy schedule. So maybe, if Steve were still interested, they could get creative. Danny eyeballed his revamped counters and knew that Steve liked solving problems.

But, Danny reminded himself, Steve wasn’t in this for the long haul. He was here temporarily, to figure out what he wanted to do with his life. Sure, he’d been here a lot longer than the two weeks he’d confessed he’d planned on staying, but he was a vibrant, sexy man, still young and fit. He could probably walk into any of the branches with acronyms and get a well-paying job. Or he probably had ex-SEAL contacts running private security firms and contracting companies that would have him traveling all over the world. Danny just couldn’t see his ignoring all of that so he could get stuck with a guy who couldn’t even afford a cell phone or a car.

Kono shook the flyer at him, returning him to matters at hand. “So what do you say?”

Sighing, Danny took the flyer, actually reading it this time. The meeting was scheduled for Friday night. “Friday’s my busiest night –”

“I’ll come in and help out,” Kono said. “I’m off.”

“See, Danno? We have it all figured out.” Steve turned to Jenna. “What do you say to hanging out with Kono and Uncle Steve on Friday night?”

‘Hooray!” Jenna said, smiling up from where she was practicing her letters.

“Hooray!” Mimicked Recording Rita.

“Hooray!” Steve echoed, grinning. His cell phone rang, and he pulled it out of one of his cargo pants pockets as he walked into the kitchen.

Danny turned back to Kono. “Have you had lunch?” He didn’t wait for an answer as he headed behind the counter to heat her up a pretzel. “You want your usual?”

“Actually, I have an order.” Kono pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket. “I need three ham and cheese, two peanut butter and jelly, six pineapple, two plain with salt, and one plain with cheese on the side. I’m also grabbing four sodas.”

Danny blinked at her. “When was the last time you ate?”

She laughed. “Once I told everyone I was getting lunch from here, I got a lot of people asking if I could grab them something too.” She pulled out cash from her other pocket and grinned, dimples flashing. “It helps that I knew how much everything cost, with tax, so this is exact change.”

“One of these days, Kalakaua, you’re going to run the world,” Danny said, taking both the order and the money. “When you do, I ask that you remember me fondly.”

Her smile grew a little larger. “Don’t bother heating them. We can do that ourselves.”

Danny knew he’d stashed some larger bags and drink carriers in the back, and as he entered the kitchen, he heard Steve on his phone, saying, “I miss you too, Catherine,” low and intimate.

It took him a second to realize that he’d stopped breathing. It took another second for him to remember why he’d come into the kitchen to begin with. Pretending a nonchalance that his pounding heart knew to be a lie, he grabbed a large bag and carrier and returned to the front. He slid on some gloves and focused on the job ahead of him, stickering a bag with the name of the pretzel before sliding the appropriate pretzel inside and placing it in the larger bag. He finished in no time, pulling off his gloves and rolling the top of the bag before handing it to Kono, who’d already pulled out the drinks and pressed them into the drink carrier.

She frowned at him. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he lied. “If you find that you have a pressing engagement on Friday, like you need to get your hair done or something, I understand.”

Kono laughed, grabbing the food and drinks. “You trying to say something about my hair?”

“I’m trying to get out of going to this ridiculous meeting,” he muttered.

“Felix seemed awfully determined to get you there,” she said. “Maybe you need to focus more on seeing him than on the actual meeting.”

Danny frowned, confused. “What do you mean – ”

“Gotta go! See you on Friday! Bye, Jenna!”

“Bye, Kono!” Jenna shouted and waved, leaving Danny without a chance to grill Kono on what she’d meant.

Unfortunately, Kono’s departure gave Danny time to think about what he’d overheard in the kitchen. He felt like an idiot. Of course Steve had someone named Catherine. There was no way someone who looked like him would be available. He probably felt sorry for Danny and was trying to just be friends with him. Those looks were nothing more than Steve being nice and Danny’s misinterpreting the entire thing.

Fortunately, a few customers chose that moment to come into the store, giving Danny something more to think about than his humiliation at reading the entire situation with Steve all wrong.

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Steve sat at the table coloring with Jenna and Grace while Kono flirted with some college guys at the cash register.

Danny’d been acting strangely the last couple of days, and Steve couldn’t quite figure out what had happened. Kono’d come in with the flyer, and Danny hadn’t caught his eye for more than a brief glance since then. The touches had dried up too, Danny casually keeping his distance. Steve found himself missing how close they’d been growing. He knew he hadn’t gauged it wrong; Danny tended to wear his heart on his sleeve, and it didn’t take a mind reader to know that he was attracted to Steve.

Or he had been. But Steve couldn’t recall anything that’d happened that would’ve changed things.

The boys finally left, and Steve excused himself from the girls to walk over to Kono.

She smiled up at him. “You guys finished coloring the ships?”

In anticipation of the evening, Steve had found some free Navy coloring pages online and printed them out so he and the girls could color them together. They’d been a big hit, both girls leaving their coloring books of flowers and fairies for him to color.

“They still have a few left, although I think I’ve had my fill of coloring fairy wings.” He waited until Kono finished laughing before saying, “Hey, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” Kono said, replenishing the bake case.

“Did you and Danny talk about anything special the other day when you came in with the flyer?”

Kono looked at him, puzzled, but she stopped and thought. “We just talked about his going even though he didn’t want to. You were there.”

“I was on the phone in the kitchen for some of it,” Steve explained. “He just seemed… different after you left.”

“You know, he looked strange after he got back from the kitchen,” Kono said.

“When’d he come back there?”

“Danny headed to the back to get some bags and drink carriers.”

Steve thought back and didn’t remember seeing Danny back there. He’d just finished with the dishes, and Catherine called about – Catherine. He frantically thought through their conversation, trying to remember what he’d said out loud.

He couldn’t have given everything away, because if Danny had known who he really was, he’d have thrown him out on his ass immediately. But he’d definitely heard something that’d changed the way he thought about Steve.

“Now you look a little upset,” Kono said. “Are you two having problems?”

“Everything’s fine,” Steve said distractedly, belated noticing Kono’s shrewd glance. “What?”

“I don’t know why I didn’t see it before. You like him.”

“He’s a nice guy.”

“No, you like him like him.”

Steve glared at her. “What is this, high school?”

“And he totally likes you too! How did I miss this? Does Chin know?”

“There’s nothing to know,” Steve said.

Kono stared at him a little longer. “No, there’s something.”

“Seriously, we’re just friends.”

“Did it happen at your sleepover? Danny said he slept in the guest bedroom. Was he lying? Or did you sleep with him in there? Is that some sort of kink?”

Steve found himself blushing as he slid closer to Kono so he could lower his voice. “First of all, Danny and I did not have a sleepover. He just came over for dinner and stayed the night. Secondly, he did sleep in the guest bedroom. Alone.”

“But you like him,” Kono said.

Steve knew he could lie, but he really didn’t see the point. And maybe Kono could use her knowledge about Danny to help him. “Yeah, I kind of do.”

“So what’s the problem? I see the way he looks at you. He’s totally into you too.”

“Something changed in the last couple of days. He hasn’t been the same since you came in with the flyer.”

Kono smacked her hand on her forehead. “I kept shoving Felix at him.”

“The guy who owns the big and tall shop?”

“Yeah. He’s been crushing on Danny for a while now, and Danny’s never showed any interest. But Danny’s not getting any younger, and I figured if he went to the meeting, maybe he’d give Felix a chance. You know how Danny is, totally oblivious. And Felix knows all about the girls and some of Danny’s situation. He’s good looking, tall and well buil- well, I thought maybe… if I’d realized that you and Danny had a thing, I wouldn’t have pushed it.”

That just didn’t feel right to Steve. He didn’t doubt that this Felix guy had a crush on Danny; the man was built and sexy and smart. A blind man could recognize Danno’s worth. But that didn’t explain the change in Danny’s attitude. No, there was another reason, and Steve had a feeling it involved his conversation with Catherine.

Danny entered the room talking nonstop on the cell phone glued to his ear. He immediately walked to his daughters, caressing each one on the head before frowning and bending down to get a better look at what they were coloring. He shook his head and walked toward Kono and Steve at the counter, barely taking a breath.

“....why would the permits be a problem? It’s our street, and it isn’t as though it connects to a busy thoroughfare. Just make sure you grab the forms we need, and we’ll fill them out tomorrow. Give Mrs. Pukahi a call before you go; she seems to know the right questions to ask.” Danny took one of his first breaths since he’d entered the building as he listened to the person on the other end of the line. “She can’t go herself because she’s, like two hundred years old and is a hazard when she gets behind that Matador Coupe with those thick glasses. Besides that, it’s your job. You volunteered to do it, so put your big girl panties on and get it done. I’ll expect to have them here by Tuesday. You have a good night.”

The last sentence was said so politely and contrasted so much with his previous rant that Steve and Kono looked at each other, grinning. Only Danny.

Danny ended the call and looked at them. “What?”

“Just didn’t realize that you and Mrs. Pukahi had gotten so close,” Kono said.

“She still hates me,” Danny muttered. “She sat as far away from me as she could without actually being in another room. I’ve worked next door to her for two years, and she still treats me like I shot her dog. But this one – ” He gestured toward Steve, his gaze flickering to Steve’s face before dancing away “ – gets everything but homemade cookies.”

“She smiles and waves at me,” Steve boasted, enjoying Danny’s exasperated raising and dropping of his arms.

“Yeah, she’s nice to me too,” Kono said, her eyes widened to reflect poorly-hidden innocence. “You seem to be the only one she doesn’t like. Huh.”

“Huh,” Danny repeated snidely, waving his occupied hand.

“When’d you get the cell?” Kono asked, changing topics.

“Felix loaned it to me,” Danny said, tucking it into his back pocket. “We had the meeting in the back of his shop, so he said he’d close up and would stop by on his way home to pick it up.”

“That was nice of him,” Kono said, sliding her eyes toward Steve.

Steve nodded, feeling a fake smile stuck on his face. He hadn’t met this Felix, but he already didn’t like him.

“Danno! We colored Uncle Steve’s Navy pictures!” Grace ran over and handed him a sheet of paper.

A couple of customers came into the store, and Kono said, “I’ll get it,” slipping back behind the counter as Danny mouthed a, “thanks” to her.

“This is the Marine Flag –” She looked at Steve.

“Seal,” he said.

“The Marine Flag Seal,” she said.

Danny took the paper, smiling proudly as he inspected her work. “This looks fantastic, Monkey! I think it needs to go on the wall upstairs.” He looked over at Jenna, who was slowly making her way over to them. “What’d you color, Bear?”

Steve loved watching Danny with his girls. He didn’t think he’d ever seen such focus and care.

“Mine’s the usinhowr,” Jenna said, handing over her paper.

“The USS Eisenhower,” Steve said gently.

“The USS isnhowr,” Jenna repeated, smiling proudly.

Steve tweaked her nose, and she giggled.

“This one’s gonna have to go up too,” Danny sighed. “We’re not going to have any space left on the walls if you two keep making such beautiful pictures!” He turned away and coughed.

Steve was about to ask if he were okay but was distracted by the bell on the door.

“Hey, Felix,” Danny said, and Steve inspected the man who’d just entered.

Felix was Hawaiian, something Steve hadn’t expected with that name. He also didn’t expect for Felix to be so tall, with dark hair and a chiseled jaw. The five o’clock shadow was a little too even to be natural, and the man’s eyes were too close together, Steve decided.

He hadn’t realized that he’d stepped up beside Danny until Danny’s elbow bumped him as Danny pulled out the cell phone before handing it to Felix. Danny blinked, surprised at their proximity, while Steve just gave him a toothless smile.

“Felix, this is Steve, Steve, Felix.”

“Danno! Jenna spilled her milk on our pictures!”

“Excuse me a moment,” Danny said, shooting both men a quick glance before heading behind the counter for a rag.

“So,” Felix said, shoving his cell phone in his pocket. “You work for Danny?”

“At the moment.” Steve crossed his arms, happy with the inch he had over the other man. “You work at the big and tall store?”

“I own it, actually,” Felix said, smiling.

Steve thought he looked like a ferret. A ferret who bragged. “Congratulations,” he said dryly. He really wanted to say that he was CEO of Boone Pretzels but knew it wasn’t worth the fallout.

“It took a lot of hard work; I didn’t just wake up after graduating from Wharton and suddenly own a chain of stores.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. “The back lists my local branches. You’re a little shorter than our usual clientele, but we should have some quality dress shirts that would drape nicely over your frame.” 

“I appreciate that,” Steve said, taking the card, “but I don’t really need dress shirts.”

“I suppose not, working here.” The man’s tone reflected a friendly courtesy not reflected in his words.

“Or in my previous job in the Navy.”

Felix seemed nominally interested as he looked over to where Danny was busy mopping up milk and calming his upset daughters. “You worked on a ship?”

“I was a SEAL.”

Felix’s attention returned to him in a shot.

Steve didn’t let the satisfaction show as he turned the card around in his fingers. “I could probably incapacitate a man with this,” he mused. Then he looked up with a small smile.

“Sorry about that,” Danny said, clapping his hands together as he walked up to them.

“The girls okay?” Steve asked.

“Yeah, but I’m gonna need a second copy of, like, all of those coloring pages you printed.”

“No problem,” Steve said. “We had a good time coloring them the first time; I’m sure we’ll have just as much fun the second time around.” He made sure his smile included Felix, whose own smile seemed to be fraying a bit around the edges. Good, Steve thought.

“So I had some thoughts about the street fair while I was closing that I thought I could run by you,” Felix said.

“Shoot,” Danny said, staring at Felix expectantly.

Felix paused and looked at Steve.

“I ran Danny’s booth at a fair the other week,” Steve said, not planning on moving until Felix’s ass was out the door and on its way home. Alone.

“He pretty much sold everything except the chair he was sitting on,” Danny said. He sounded kind of proud, but he still wasn’t looking at Steve.

“They sold because they were good,” Steve said, willing Danny to look at him just once. “I just handed them out and made change.”

“The point being, that given his experience, Steve would probably be a better sounding board than I would,” Danny said, flashing a grin in Steve’s direction before coughing into the inside of his elbow.

Grace walked over, tugging at Danny’s hand until he bent down so she could whisper to him. “Head on up, and I’ll be there in a minute,” he said, cupping the top of her head fondly for a second before letting her go. He watched her collect Jenna, who was making a point of not looking their direction, and they walked hand-in-hand into the kitchen.

Steve turned back toward Felix just in time to see annoyance flicker across his features as he watched the girls leave. The look was gone within a blink, replaced with a polite smile by the time Danny turned back around to face him.

In that instant, a calm washed over Steve. He’d felt a little guilty about how he’d planned on sending Felix running – not that it was going to stop him – but after seeing how Felix seemed to feel about those little girls, he knew he was completely justified in anything he was going to do. A quick glance over at Kono, and he knew she was on board.

“Danno,” Grace called, her head poking in from the kitchen. She beckoned with her hand.

Danny smiled, walking over and this time picking her up. “Soon you’re going to be too big for me to do this.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered.

He leaned back and looked her in the eye. “Are you sure?”

She nodded.

“Bear too?”

She nodded again.

“I can’t promise anything, but I'll ask.” He sat her down and gently popped her in the butt to get her moving. He stood, his back to them for a few seconds. He coughed, rubbing at his chest.

Steve started to get worried. “Danny, what’s wrong? How’re you feeling?”


	9. Chapter 9

Danny didn’t want to turn around. It was like now that he knew Steve wasn’t available to him, the man was nothing but walking temptation. Even when he was arguing with him, Danny found himself appreciating Steve’s eyes or his smile or his myriad of faces. He liked the way Steve looked in his blue Boone shirt and his black cargo pants. He found himself wanting to smile at the way Steve tilted his head when he listened intently to what the girls had to say.

And he was so good with the girls. They both already put him in their drawings next to Kono and sometimes Chin and Malia. They lit up every time they saw him, and he seemed to do the same. Danny’d never thought about it before, but seeing Steve with his girls made him so happy his heart actually ached a little. They loved Kono, but they adored Steve.

He took a deep breath and turned around, plastering a smile on his face. He already felt stupid for wanting something he could never have; the trick now was to make sure that no one else knew his secret, even if working with Steve every day created its own brand of torture. On the one hand, it was like having the thing you wanted most just out of reach. But on the other hand, just the thought of no longer having Steve around felt like a knife to the gut. “I’m fine, but your presence has been requested upstairs to read them a story.”

Steve’s smile lit his entire face.

Of course, sap that he was, Danny couldn’t help but respond with a smile of his own. “And don’t think I don’t know what you do.”

Steve faltered a bit, looking confused.

“A story doesn’t mean four or five. A story means one, as in more than zero and less than two, as in something that takes a few minutes to read, not half an hour.”

Steve didn’t even bother looking regretful. “What can I say? It’s a gift.”

“A pain in the ass is more like it,” Danny muttered.

“I don’t have to go up there,” Steve warned. “You could tell them that you wouldn’t let me read to them, because you didn’t like them to hear so many stories. I’m sure they’d understand.” He ducked his head and looked up at Danny through his lashes.

Danny folded his arms to keep from reaching out and tugging Steve down for a kiss. “Hey, you want to read to them until dawn, be my guest. But you’re the one who’s gonna deal with two sleepy, grumpy girls tomorrow, that’s all I’m saying.”

“You know you love my stories,” Steve teased. “You lurk just outside the bedroom listening.”

“Oh yeah, I love to hear about Duck and Goose’s adventures.”

“Hey, don’t knock Duck and Goose,” Steve said, his face suddenly serious. “They’re pretty awesome.”

Danny couldn’t really argue with that. Kono had brought over some books that her various cousins had grown out of, and the series about the duck and the goose were some of Danny’s favorites. Fortunately, the girls really enjoyed them too, and now it seemed like Steve was a convert. They didn’t have a lot of words and invited discussion on just about every page, so one story could take quite a long time to read. “Hey, they’re two of my best friends,” he said, hand on his chest.

Steve grinned.

Danny didn’t realize that he and Steve had been staring at each other until Felix cleared his voice.

“I’m just gonna –” Steve said, motioning toward the kitchen.

“I’ll be up as soon as I close up,” Danny said before turning toward Felix. “If you can get away, you want to go over your ideas tomorrow at lunch?”

Felix smiled. “I might be able to arrange that.”

“Kono doesn’t work here now, so Steve and I’ll have to take turns helping customers, but you can officially meet the girls when it’s not so late, and they’re in better moods.”

Felix’s smile dropped a little, Danny noticed, before he said, “How about I see how busy we are tomorrow, and I’ll let you know?”

“Sounds good,” Danny said, knowing how a set schedule didn’t always work out in the world of retail. “You know where I am.”

Felix paused, like he wanted to say something, so Danny looked at him expectantly. He didn’t say anything for a few seconds, and Danny started thinking about all the things he had to do before going upstairs and joining Steve and the girls, and he finally walked Felix to the door and opened it. “Have a good night.”

“Night,” Felix said faintly before walking outside.

“Strange,” Danny muttered. He locked the door and turned the sign to ‘closed’ before walking toward Kono, who stood behind the counter with a smile on her face. “What’s with the grin?”

“You really don’t know, do you?”

“I know many, many things,” Danny said, grabbing a fresh rag from the quat bucket to start wiping down the tables. “For example, I know that you’re amazing for coming here and helping run the store while I went to that meeting. I know that you’re going to be as great a cop as your cousin,” Kono’s eyes flashed happily at that. “I know that my girls are fantastic, Hawaii is expensive, and Steve is upstairs right now starting a storytime marathon. What I don’t know is why you were grinning at me like that. That’s why I asked.”

“You don’t know why Felix loaned you his phone or why he wanted to run his ideas past you.”

“Actually, that is another thing I know. I needed to make a call, and I don’t have a cell phone. So Felix just handed his over. And he wanted to run his ideas past me, because I was the first person he’s seen since the meeting.”

Kono snorted, and Danny knew he might as well just give in to save himself the time and energy. He waved his arms toward himself in a give-it-to-me motion before turning to another table. “Go ahead. Relay your wisdom.”

“He wants to get into your pants.”

Shocked, Danny stopped wiping the last table for a moment and thought about it. “No,” he said slowly, “I don’t think so.”

“Why do you think he’s been trying so hard to get you to go to the neighborhood business meetings?” Kono finished wrapping the last plate of pretzels in the bake case with the plastic wrap.

“Because street fairs don’t just pop up by themselves, and he needs people to help,” Danny said, pretty reasonably he thought.

“He has people,” Kono said. “He wanted you.”

“Let’s look at this logically,” Danny said. “I’m no one’s idea of a catch. I’m a high school dropout who got my GED in order to get into the police academy. I didn’t even work as a cop more than two years before quitting. I’m up to my neck in debt, living above the store, and I’m raising two little girls alone – and yes, they’re both fantastic, but that doesn’t mean that to some people, they’re baggage. One has Down syndrome, which is icing on the cake. I split my time between the girls and the store. I don’t own a car, and the last relationship I had was with my dead ex-wife.

“Felix graduated from Wharton, owns his business and has three or four more stores in Hawaii alone. He owns house in Kahala and drives around in a Lotus Elise. Now tell me which of us you’d choose?”

“You,” Kono said promptly.

“That’s because you’re a glutton for punishment,” Danny said, feeling warm inside despite knowing for a fact that she’d love to drive Felix’s Lotus.

“No, it’s because I know what kind of person you are. Plus,” she shrugged, “you’re cuter.”

Danny laughed, ignoring the rush of heat to his face. “I can’t believe they accepted you into the academy with your poor eyesight.”

Kono laughed too. “You are cute. And I’m not the only one who thinks so.”

“I’m telling you, Kono. There’s no way Felix is interested in me.” And he was absolutely okay with that. Sure, Felix was indeed the catch that Danny had described, and he was good looking and fit. He had a nice smile and a self-assurance that normally Danny would find attractive, but Felix paled in comparison to Steve. Damnit, Danny sighed to himself.

“I wasn’t talking about Felix,” Kono said right before walking into the kitchen with the dirty wave plates from the bake case.

Danny grabbed the rest of the dirty dishes and followed. “I know you aren’t talking about Mrs. Pukahi.”

Kono laughed. “No.”

“Then…”

Kono rolled her eyes toward the stairs and up.

“Wait. You mean. You mean Steve?” Danny said the name in a whisper, as if the man could hear them from upstairs.

“Duh,” Kono said.

Danny started running the water in the sink. “Nope. Not gonna happen.” He coughed, worried about the scratchy feel at the back of his throat. He couldn’t afford to get sick. He didn’t have the time, the money, or the manpower to handle even a couple of days off work. Reminding himself to throw back a shitload of that Echinacea Kono had given him a few months ago, he returned his focus to the dishes.

“Why not? He’s cute and smart. He loves the girls, and they love him right back. He doesn’t seem to mind that you have absolutely no free time or a car, and I happen to know that he’s interested in you.”

“He’s only here until he figures out what he really wants to be doing. He’s probably not gay. And he’s taken.”

Kono stared at him a moment. “He might be bisexual, but he’s totally open to being with you. But what do you mean, he’s taken?”

“He has something going on with a woman named Catherine.”

“How do you know?”

“I just do,” Danny said, not wanting to explain what he’d heard in Steve’s voice.

“Maybe it’s just casual.”

Danny shrugged. “Maybe, but I’ve never been good at sharing.”

Nodding, Kono didn’t seem surprised. “You do scream commitment.”

“Not that I haven’t dipped my toe in the one-night stand pool,” Danny said, wondering why he was feeling the need to overshare, “but even if I wanted that kind of relationship, I wouldn’t do it with someone who works for me. It would end up awkward and difficult, and I wouldn’t do that to the girls.” Danny kept to himself that he would’ve broken that self-imposed rule if there had really been a chance with Steve.

“But he – ”

“Nope. If he is interested, it’s a temporary thing, and I just don’t have the time or energy for that.” Danny turned off the tap and dipped his hands into the first sink of hot, soapy water. He didn’t want to think anymore about the fact that he wasn’t in Steve’s league, that even if a miracle occurred and they got together, it wouldn’t lead to anything more than heartbreak for Danny. He liked to think that while he might be a little dense, he eventually learned his lesson, and Rachel had taught him well that he was the guy people stayed with until something – or someone – better came along. His heart barely survived when she’d left him that first time. No, it was better that he just kept his heart for his girls. “How about I wash, you load the dishwasher?”

Kono sighed, walked to the large, industrial dishwasher, and held out her hand for the first plate.

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Saturday morning, Steve woke later than usual, at six instead of five, due to a late-night conference call with his dad, explaining his absence and proving that he was still on top of all of his projects. He let his dad think that Steve had needed the time away after working endlessly during his illness. In fact Steve himself had been pleasantly surprised at how easily his schedule accommodated his telecommunication. He missed seeing Catherine and his father regularly, but he couldn’t deny that Hawaii felt more like home than the East Coast. He had good friends here, a life outside of work, and most importantly, he had Danny and the girls.

Granted, he took more cold showers now, but that was his choice. He could’ve gone out with friends and found someone to bring home, but he found that the only person he wanted was Danny. The man who refused to look him in the eye.

Well, Steve amended, Danny had forgotten for a few minutes the night before as they’d bantered back and forth about Steve reading to the girls; the fact that Felix had been standing right there had made the whole thing even better.

And Steve thought that Kono was right. Danny had no idea that Felix was sniffing after him, so Steve resolved to step up his game. He’d texted Chin about his and Malia taking the girls for another overnight so Steve could take Danny out on a proper date, to a nice restaurant, maybe a movie. He wanted to woo Danny. He didn’t really have much experience with it, but he figured neither did Danny, so maybe they could work on it together.

Of course, he had to tell Danny the truth about who he was and why he’d shown up in the first place… He wasn’t looking forward to that and knew that it Danny would blow up, but he also knew that Danny’s heart wouldn’t let him stay mad at Steve for too long. At least Steve was counting on that. Plus, he figured he could get Chin to put in a good word for him… and maybe Kono if she decided that she didn’t hate him after she found out too.

Kono had wanted to discuss something with him last night, but he hadn’t managed to break away from the girls until after the fifth book, and he’d had to race to get home in time for his conference call.

While he went for his daily swim, he made a mental daily schedule. He’d tried returning Catherine’s call before he headed into the water – they’d been playing phone tag for the past couple of days - but he’d left her a message on her voicemail. His shift didn’t start until four, so he figured he had time to return home, have breakfast, try Catherine again, call Kono at a reasonable hour, reprint the Navy coloring pages that Jenna had accidentally ruined, and do a little paperwork before heading to the store. He found that staying busy kept him from heading there hours early just to spend more time with the Williams family.

He climbed out of the water, pausing when he saw a familiar body reclined on what he now considered Danny’s chair. Grinning, he grabbed the towel he’d draped over his own chair and started drying himself off.

“I figured if Mohammad didn’t plan on returning to the mountain soon…”

“The mountain might as well take a little trip to paradise?” Steve asked.

Catherine smiled at him around a large pair of sunglasses. “This is business, but I figure if I could work on my tan a little bit along the way…” She stood, moving closer.

Steve backed away. “I’m all wet.”

“I like you all wet,” she said, running her hands along his waist.

Steve gently took her hands and moved them off of him.

“I thought it might be like that,” she said, returning to her seat.

“Like what?” Steve ran the towel through his hair as an excuse to avoid her eyes.

“Whenever we talk, it’s always ‘Danny said this’ and ‘Danny did that’.”

Steve pulled the towel off his head and looked at her. “Yeah, and I’m usually complaining!”

“That’s the thing. You aren’t really complaining. And you have a tone.”

“I have a tone.” Steve absently tossed the towel on his chair. She wasn’t wrong; he knew it. But he hated the idea that he was so transparent – it didn’t bother him that Kono, Chin, and Malia knew, because they saw him everyday. But he and Catherine hadn’t even Skyped recently, so she’d picked up on it just from their phone calls, texts, and e-mails. 

“Yeah, it’s soft and fond, and I can tell that you’re usually smiling, even when you’re griping about something he said or did.”

Collapsing on the chair, Steve sighed.

Catherine reached over and took his hand. “It’s okay. You and I both know that what we have is more for convenience’s sake. We scratch each other’s itches, and we even happen to like each other. This was bound to happen someday.”

“I thought you were going to be the one to find someone,” Steve admitted.

Catherine smiled, sitting back. “So did I.”

They shared a laugh and went into the house, where after a quick shower, Steve made Catherine a nice, healthy breakfast, and they caught up on work and office scuttlebutt.

Finally, Steve asked, “What excuse did you cook up to come out here on the company dime?”

“As the VP of Marketing, I wanted to check out these new pretzels, see if they might be viable in other locations. Unofficially, I wanted to let you know that Victor’s scheduled to visit the franchises on the West Coast.”

“Okay,” Steve said, putting the final dish in the dishwasher. “You could’ve just e-mailed me about that.”

“But what I also learned is that there’s a big chunk of time on his schedule that’s free of appointments.”

Steve froze, turning toward her. “How much time?”

“Enough time to make a quick visit here,” Catherine told him. “I’m not sure if that’s what he’s doing, but his assistant was on the phone with him and asked him to bring her back a box of chocolate covered macadamia nuts.”

“Shit,” Steve mumbled, mind scrambling to figure out what to do.

“If I were you, I’d go to Danny and tell him everything before it’s too late.”

Steve knew it wasn’t going to go well, but he had to admit to himself that it was past time for Danny to know the truth. There was no way Steve could really move forward with him unless everything was out in the open. Victor’s forcing his hand kind of pissed him off, but it was something he had been pushing off for way too long. He had to find a way to talk to Danny. Today.

“Oh, and there’s also the matter of his creating pretzels and selling them under our name without approval.”

“How about the fact that I had to have you send me stuff that should’ve been readily available to Danny? We dropped the ball with him, and he was doing his best to keep his shop afloat.”

Catherine arched a brow.

Steve arched a brow of his own. He knew he was being defensive, but it didn’t mean that he wasn’t right. That was when he realized that between Danny and anyone else, he would take Danny’s side every time. He and his dad were due for a pretty uncomfortable conversation.

And then he thought about how he wanted Danny not just in his life but also in his bed and realized that he and his dad were actually going to have more than one uncomfortable conversation.

Of course, the first thing he needed to do was reprint some coloring pages.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Tad Hills writes the Duck and Goose picture and board books, and they're family favorites.
> 
> The free Navy coloring pages exist. Here are some of the sites I visited to use as reference:  
> http://www.yescoloring.com/ship-coloring-page.html  
> http://www.oncoloring.com/military-coloring-pages.html  
> http://www.activity-sheets.com/coloring_page/armed-forces-day/armed-forces-pics/Armed-Forces-501.gif  
> https://www.pinterest.com/pin/183873597256771003/  
> http://www.activity-sheets.com/coloring_page/armed-forces-day/  
> http://www.yescoloring.com/ship-coloring-page.html


	10. Chapter 10

Danny paused at the corner of his block, watching a man pace in front of his shop. He’d been closing the shop to take Grace to the school bus stop for the past week or so, and this was the first time he’d ever had anyone waiting impatiently for his return. He got a bad feeling but wasn’t sure if it were lingering guilt over not being able to keep the shop open the entire time or the tickle that would not leave his throat or the pressure in his chest that woke him up this morning. Still cautious, he gripped Jenna’s hand a little tighter and made sure he was between her and the stranger.

Nodding at the man, he turned the “back in fifteen minutes” sign around to “open”, unlocking the door and holding the door open for the man before he and Jenna walked inside.

“What can I get for you?” He swallowed a cough as he walked behind the counter and started to wash his hands.

“Are you Daniel Williams?”

Danny looked closer at the man and realized that he seemed vaguely familiar. Pale wavy hair, his face was all planes and angles: sharp cheekbones, long, pointed nose. He supposed the man could be considered good looking, but Danny couldn’t shake the sense of forboding. He looked down at Jenna. “Bear, why don’t you go upstairs and put on a video?”

Jenna looked confused, but bless her, she nodded and headed into the kitchen without more than a hug to his waist.

Once he heard the muffled click of the door leading upstairs, Danny turned back to the man as he dried his hands, his body loose but ready. “Can I help you?”

“I’m Victor Hesse.”

“Nice to meet you. What can I get you?”

Hesse paused a moment, and Danny felt a slight smugness that he’d managed to throw the man off a little. “I’m the Vice President of Franchising for Boone Pretzels.”

Danny nodded, walking behind the counter. “Yeah I recognized the name.” It was on all of the correspondence he’d sent to the corporate office that’d never been answered in the past two years. He poured himself a cup of coffee and looked up as a customer entered the store. As he helped her, he kept Hesse in the corner of his eye, watching the man amble around the store. He looked closely at the local images of Hawaii that Danny had hung up, peered into the bakery case, even ran his fingers over one of the tabletops.

Danny’s customer left just in time for his morning regulars to start arriving, and he finally decided to just ignore Hesse and pay attention to his work. He’d never been high on Hesse’s to do list, so he didn’t feel bad at focusing on his job. If he enjoyed letting the man sit at a table with nothing but the drumming of his fingertips for the better part of an hour and a half, he wasn’t going to admit it to anyone but himself.

Jenna came downstairs, Recording Rita clutched firmly against her chest, and Danny sat her at her table, giving her a snack and putting out her workbook and pencil before turning his attention to Hesse.

“So what do I owe a visit from the corporate office?” He asked, sitting down across from Hesse.

“I don’t recall clearing the pictures on the walls,” Hesse said flatly.

“Why don’t you check your desk for the request form I sent about two years ago for approved artwork and the follow-up request form I sent about six months later? If you can’t find those, maybe you can locate the release form,” Danny countered in the same tone. He’d done the best he could with no help from the corporate office, and he wasn’t about to let the man waltz into his shop and start acting like Danny hadn’t done everything he could to toe the corporate line.

Hesse’s eyes narrowed.

Danny didn’t budge.

They remained like that, eyes locked on each other, until a customer arrived, and Danny returned to the counter.

Five customers later, Danny walked back to his seat to resume the staring match.

“I don’t recall seeing a pineapple or peanut butter and jelly pretzel on our menu.”

“Did you want one of each? Maybe a cup of coffee? I can ring you up right now if you like,” Danny said, his smile more a way of bearing his teeth than being friendly.

“Where’d you get the cards for the bakery case?” 

“Not from your office, that’s for sure,” Danny countered. He didn’t know about the policy on sharing between franchises, and he didn’t want to get Steve or his former store in trouble. Absently, he remembered that he’d never paid the other store back for the stuff, and he made a mental note to talk to Steve about that when the man came in for his afternoon shift.

Evidently he was starting to piss Hesse off, and he found that amusing. Leaning back in his chair, he waited for the next question but was thrown when Hesse reached into the briefcase at his feet and pulled out a thick bound book. “Do you know what this is?”

Danny read the front upside down. “It says it is the Boone Franchise Manual, but the one I have is from my old store in New Jersey, and it’s about five years out of date. I’ve requested a new manual a few times over the last couple of years since one didn’t arrive in my initial shipment.”

The man seemed to ignore him, which didn’t really surprise Danny at all. He opened the book, flipping through a few pages like he was refreshing his memory about the contents. The bell above the door rang, saving Danny the annoyance of being ignored while Hess read his own damn manual.

As he helped his customers, Danny stole another look at Hesse, trying to figure out why the man seemed familiar. He was sure they’d never met; Danny would’ve remembered someone that annoying. But still…

A few of the customers sat at some of the tables, so Danny checked on Jenna. Since he couldn’t focus on helping her with her lessons at the moment, he switched out her workbook for a blank paper and crayons before strolling back over to Hesse’s table. This time he remained standing. “I have some stuff in the back I could be doing unless you need me here to watch you read your manual.”

“Sit,” Hesse said without looking up.

Danny didn’t like the order or the tone, so he headed back over to his daughter’s table. “What’re you drawing, Bear?”

“The USS ‘prise,” she said, and Danny realized that if he tilted his head a little, he could recognize the shape of a boat.

“That’s beautiful!” He said, kissing the top of her head.

“Uncle Steve will like it,” she said, returning her focus to her paper.

Danny loved that Jenna just took it for granted that Steve would be proud of her work. He’d worked hard to create a safe space for her and Grace where they wouldn’t doubt his love or pride, and Kono – and to a slightly lesser extent Chin and Malia – had extended that space. Steve had somehow not only done that but also made them feel as if they were just as important to him as they were to Danny.

“Are you talking about Steve McGarrett?”

Danny gave Jenna’s shoulders a hug before reluctantly returning to Hesse. “You know Steve?”

Hesse chuckled. “Of course I know Steve.” He turned the manual around, tapping on a picture. “He’s the acting CEO of Boone Enterprises.”

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Steve took the corner fast, the tires squealing.

“You’re not going to be able to fix things if you’re dead,” Catherine shouted over the noise as she held onto the dashboard.

Catherine had gotten a call from her assistant, who’d run into Hesse’s assistant and found out that Hesse had landed in Honolulu International Airport three hours earlier. He told the woman that he’d be unavailable for the next hour so he could – in his words - ‘devote his time to a problematic franchise’.

Steve had immediately grabbed his keys, barely waiting for Catherine to buckle her seatbelt before peeling out of the driveway.

He and Hesse had never really liked each other; he knew Hesse had been angling for the CEO job and probably thought he was a shoe-in after John McGarrett’s heart attack. Then Steve came waltzing in and snatched it just by virtue of being family. And Steve might’ve felt a little for the guy if he hadn’t been such a dick. The more Steve looked into Hesse’s business habits, the more displeased he became at Hesse’s iron control over the franchises, and he got the feeling that Hesse might be skimming off the top. He didn’t have the proof, but right before he’d left, he’d secretly hired a detective agency that specialized in forensic accounting to take a look. They sent him weekly updates, and had found some discrepancies that concerned them. They hadn’t found definitive proof, but his contact at the firm, a former hacker who answered to Toast, was certain that he was getting closer. Until then, Steve didn’t have anything other than the fact that Hesse was a douche to bring to his father as reason to terminate Hesse’s employment with the company.

But just as he was trying to take down Hesse, he knew Hesse was trying to do the same with him. It was a silent war they’d initiated from their first clenched handshake. And Steve knew that Hesse would leap at the chance to go through Danny to get to Steve. If he could use it to springboard himself into Steve’s position, even better.

Steve peeled into a parking spot a few storefronts down and was just about to hop out of the car when Catherine’s hand on his arm stopped him.

“Look,” she said, nodding towards Danny’s shop.

Hesse and Danny walked outside, Danny’s finger pressing against Hesse’s chest until they cleared the doorway. Danny’s mouth moved constantly, Hesse trying to get a word in but Danny barreling over him without pause.

“Wow,” Catherine breathed. “He’s a talker.”

Despite his worry, Steve had to smile a little. “Yes he is.”

Hesse gestured toward the shop, and Danny pressed a hand to Hesse’s chest, obviously telling him to stay right where he was. Danny disappeared inside, re-emerging a few seconds later with a briefcase that he threw at Hesse.

Unperturbed, Hesse caught the briefcase, reached in, and pulled out an envelope that he held out to Danny. He said a few words and used his briefcase to ward off another attack with Danny’s finger.

Danny shouted a few more things before turning and heading back into the store.

Steve wanted to go to Danny immediately – especially when he saw Mrs. Pukahi standing there watching the whole thing - but he knew that revealing himself to Victor would be a mistake. So they watched as Hesse straightened his shirt, smoothed back his hair, strutted over to his car, and drove away before they headed inside.

Steve’s heart stopped when he heard the loud sobs before he even jerked open the door and ran inside. It broke when he saw Danny on his knees, holding an inconsolable Jenna as he whispered, “It’s okay, Bear. It’s all right.”

“Uncle Steve!” Jenna tore out of Danny’s arms and ran to Steve, who bent down and caught her, holding her tightly.

“Hey,” he said softly, “did that man hurt you?”

She just shook her head and continued to cry like her heart was breaking.

Steve looked over to Danny, who held his arms crossed, gripping himself as if he were tying to hold himself together. 

“Danny –”

Danny held out a hand, palm out, cutting Steve off without a word. He refused to look Steve in the eye as he walked over and gently pulled Jenna back into his arms.

Steve didn’t want to let her go, but he knew he needed to clear things with Danny before he had that right.

“Danny, can we –”

“Not right now,” Danny said, his voice muffled as he held Jenna close. “We’re heading upstairs. Lock the door on your way out.”

“But the shop – ”

“Your employee just gave me a cease and desist.” Danny turned and headed toward the kitchen.

“Where’re they going?” Catherine asked, reminding Steve of her presence.

“They live upstairs,” Steve said absently, picking up what looked like the same envelope Hesse had handed Danny. He knew he was invading Danny’s privacy, but he figured he couldn’t get into any more trouble with Danny that he was in already, so he opened it and pulled out the papers.

“A cease and desist order,” Catherine muttered, looking over his shoulder.

The pages underneath detailed a list of Danny’s alleged infractions against his franchise contract: creating his own product and selling it as Boone-approved food, using non-official signage, wearing non-official uniforms, using non-Boone approved decoration.

“He even has something in here about the receipts not being printed properly,” Catherine said, pulling out the last page. She looked up at Steve. “Victor didn’t just come up with this off the cuff.”

“He’s been gathering this documentation for a while,” Steve agreed. “And he’s had someone in here, gathering intel.”

Catherine handed him back the page, and he put the sheets back in the envelope. “What do you want to do?”

Steve thought a moment. What he really wanted to do was to go upstairs and be there for Danny. But he knew that Danny needed to take care of Jenna. So he sat down and focused on his new op.

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Danny didn’t know what to do. He sat awkwardly on the sofa, a sleeping Jenna draped over him. Every so often, she’d shudder in an exhale, breaking his heart all over again. Muffling a cough, he rested his head against the back of the sofa, his mind swirling with questions in a pool filled with panic.

According to Hesse, he was going to be sued, and he couldn’t afford an attorney. The last time he’d gone to court, he’d lost his wife and daughter and ended up forced to move halfway across the globe. This time, he could lose their home and his livelihood. How could he take care of the girls without a job?

He couldn’t go back to being a cop; the reason he’d had to quit in the first place was because he couldn’t work those hours and take care of Jenna.

So what was out there for a single father with a GED, no vehicle, and a failed business underneath his belt?

And he had Steve to thank for all of this, the man he’d welcomed into the shop with open arms. Steve and Hesse had probably laughed themselves silly when they came up with Steve’s bringing in the recipe cards and aprons from Steve’s ‘old store’ so they could add one more tick against Danny in their lawsuit. He’d forgotten to talk to Steve about reimbursing the store, so they’d probably say that he’d stolen them.

The violation of his trust really hurt; the fact that he’d felt close to Steve and even thought of a possible future with the man while Steve was busy conspiring with Hesse burned like a fire in his chest. He wondered how much Chin and Kono knew about all of this. Maybe it was his obviously faulty instinct, but he couldn’t imagine the cousins wanting to do this to him, or more importantly, to the girls.

And worse than anything else, Steve had helped make Danny’s daughter so panicked and scared that she’d fallen asleep with tears still running down her face as she’d clung desperately to her father.

He looked at the clock, realizing that he needed to pick up Grace in fifteen minutes. He couldn’t leave Jenna alone, but she wasn’t in any condition to get cleaned up and walk to the bus stop.

Rubbing furiously at his eyes, he managed to hold the tears at bay for a few seconds before finally giving up and letting loose. After all, there was no one around to judge, and he was just so tired of trying and always coming up short.

Five minutes later, he heard a quiet knock at the door. “Who is it?” He asked roughly, his voice thick with tears and the illness he was fighting.

“It’s just me,” Kono said quietly, opening the door and sticking her head through the opening. “I just wanted to let you know that I’m going to pick up Grace at the bus stop.”

Thankful that the room was dark enough that she couldn’t see his face, he said, “That’d – that’d be great. Thanks.”

“What do you want me to tell her?”

“Just – if you could give her a snack and keep her downstairs, I would appreciate it. Tell her that I’ll be down there in a little bit to talk to her.”

“Okay.”

She was about to close the door, but he couldn’t stop himself. “Kono?”

She stuck her head back inside.

He wanted to ask her so many things, but he only said, “Did you know? About Steve?”

“I didn’t, Danny. I promise.”

Even though he doubted himself and his decisions and choices, Danny couldn’t help the wave of comfort that washed over him at her words and the firm tone behind them. “Okay.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See end notes for translations.

Right after Danny carried Jenna upstairs, Steve reopened the store, Catherine automatically stepping in to help him. Thankful that one of the requirements of working in the corporate office was that each and every employee had to train and work in a shop for at least three weeks initially and then one week every year thereafter, he let her handle the easier chores while he worked behind the counter.

During a break, he called Chin, letting him know that the shit had hit the fan.

“Man,” Chin sighed, “that was probably the worst way for him to find out.” It was the mark of a true friend that he didn’t mention that he’d wanted Steve to tell Danny everything since Steve had arrived. “What can we do to help?”

Steve sighed. “Be there for Danny. Knowing him, he thinks he’s in this all alone, and there’s no way he’s going to want to have anything to do with me right now. Catherine and I are working at the shop, so he won’t lose any income for today.”

“I thought you said that he’d gotten a cease and desist.”

“From the corporate office, where I’m the President and CEO,” Steve reminded him.

“The acting President and CEO,” Chin reminded him right back. “Have you talked to your dad about this?”

“I already have a call out to him. I’m hoping he’ll call me back before he talks to Victor.”

“What if he sides with Victor?”

“Catherine and I are taking steps to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Chin paused a second before saying slowly, “So, Catherine.”

“She’s my VP of Marketing. I’m sure I’ve mentioned her before.”

“And she just happened to be in the neighborhood?”

“No, she came to let me know about Victor.”

“The last time I heard, phone calls and texts work between here and the mainland.”

Steve felt himself getting defensive. “What’re you trying to say?”

“I’m just wondering about Catherine.”

“I trust her. There’s no way she’s working with Victor.”

“And you two are close?”

“She’s one of my best friends.” He smiled at her as she frowned at the old cash register, looking like she wanted to take a hammer to it. He could relate, although he’d gotten used to it in the past few weeks.

“Hmm,” Chin said, reminding Steve that he was on the phone.

“What’s the problem?”

“Nothing,” Chin said. “I have to go give a deposition on a case. Text me if there’s anything Malia and I can do, okay?”

“Thanks,” Steve said, hanging up.

He had just handed a customer her change when Kono shoved open the door, charging up to Steve, her hands balled into fists. “I could punch you in the face right now.”

“I would rather you didn’t,” Steve said, meaning it. He’d seen her hit a man who’d dropped in on her wave at the beach the other week, and she’d put her entire body into it. It looked like it hurt. A lot.

Suddenly Kono transformed from vengeful goddess to a confused young woman. “I don’t get it. Why would you do this to Danny? I thought you liked him.”

“I do.” Steve caught Catherine’s eye and jerked his head toward the kitchen. Understanding, she nodded and continued helping her customer. He took Kono’s arm – sighing as she jerked away from him – and led her into the kitchen for the most privacy they were going to have at the moment. “I’d heard that Danny was selling pretzels we weren’t actually making, and I wanted to see what was going on.”

Kono frowned. “Why did you sic this guy on him, then?”

“I didn’t.” Steve sighed. “Victor and I have… issues. I think he started asking some questions after I’d been gone for so long, and he learned about Danny.”

“Did you tell him that Danny had to make his own pretzels, because he wasn’t getting the help from corporate? And those pretzels are popular! If you were smart, you’d put them in all of your stores instead of putting him in jail.”

“He’s not going to jail.”

“Really? Chin said he’d gotten a cease and desist letter, and I could’ve sworn I saw the shop open for business.” She thought a moment. “Who’s that woman out there?”

“Her name’s Catherine. She’s – ”

“That’s Catherine?”

Steve frowned. He hadn’t told Kono about his undercover assignment, so he was sure he hadn’t mentioned her. “How do you know about her?”

Kono bit her cheek, obviously debating about whether or not she wanted to explain. Finally, she said, “Danny told me about her.”

Now Steve was really confused. “How does Danny know about her?”

“He heard you talking to her on the phone one night, sounding less like a coworker and more like a bed buddy.” She narrowed her eyes as she looked at him. “He wasn’t wrong, was he?”

Steve ignored the heat in his face. “It’s not like that. We’re friends who sometimes sleep together.”

“You work with your fuck buddy?”

“She’s not my fuck buddy; she’s my friend.”

“A friend you fuck?”

“Could you please stop saying that word?”

Kono huffed a sigh and looked at her watch. “Who’s picking up Grace?”

Steve’s heart sank. He hadn’t thought beyond the store and keeping Hesse from his father.

Shaking her head, Kono said, “I’ll take care of it,” and headed upstairs.

Steve puttered in the kitchen, shifting dirty dishes, setting out baking sheets, wondering how Danny did all this and while taking care the kids all by himself. He tried not to pounce as Kono reappeared. “How is he doing?”

She ducked her head and tried to dodge him.

“Kono?”

Finally, she looked up at him, tears swimming in her eyes as she whispered fiercely, “You made him cry!” She pushed by him, and he absently heard the bell as she left the store.

He’d made Danny cry. The man who’d somehow managed to get through his wife’s defection twice, bury his dreams of becoming a cop in order to raise a special needs child on his own, move to another part of the world just to be closer to his other daughter, only to bury his ex-wife and raise both girls while trying desperately to make ends meet and turn a day into thirty-six hours, was sitting upstairs crying because of Steve.

He’d enjoyed helping Danny these past weeks, enabling the other man to just stop and take a breath every so often. He’d envisioned himself as a hero of sorts, only to turn around and be the final shot that took Danny down for good. What kind of man did that to a friend?

“You okay?” Catherine walked in and put some dishes into the sink.

“I’ve just rained hell down on him, and all he’s been trying to do is survive,” Steve said, trying to keep his voice even.

Catherine squeezed his arm. “We’ll fix it.”

Steve was determined to give Danny back his shop, but he wasn’t sure if Danny would ever forgive him, and that felt way worse.

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Danny spent the next few days in a haze. He woke the girls, prepared them for the day, took Grace to school, watched videos upstairs with Jenna and fed her until it was time to pick up Grace, helped Grace with her homework, fed them dinner, got them ready for bed, read to them, and put them to sleep. He ignored all of the strangers bustling around the shop as they went on their business, sat up until late shifting money he didn’t have to pay bills he couldn’t afford, fell asleep on the sofa after staring at pages of a book he couldn’t focus on enough to read. He couldn’t sleep and rarely ate, and he knew his wasn’t healthy and couldn’t last. He just couldn’t bring himself to care. He figured he’d worry about it once they ran out of food, which was going to happen soon. Eventually the girls were going to get tired of eating dry cereal for breakfast and having canned soup for dinner.

They’d both been fantastic, keeping him close with touches and hugs as if they knew he was trying not to fall apart. They didn’t know specifics, but the drastic change in routine and Danny’s aversion to other people must’ve put them on guard.

The only question they’d asked was, “Where’s Uncle Steve?”

For the life of him, he couldn’t remember what he’d said, but it must’ve satisfied them, because they hadn’t asked for Steve since.

His cough had gotten worse, as had the pressure in his chest. His head felt like it was stuffed full of cotton, but he figured that had more to do with the loss of his shop than any physical ailment.

He forced himself up one morning, pausing to get rid of a series of coughs before stumbling into the kitchen. He poured the girls their cereal, stopping to hold onto the back of a chair for a moment for balance. For some reason, he was having a difficult time shaking off his lethargy, but he forged forward anyway, heading to the girl’s bedroom.

He only made it halfway before things started to swirl in front of him, and everything went black.

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Steve emerged from the ocean, blinking away the saltwater as he walked up to the lanai.

“Hey, bruddah!” Kamekona said gaily, setting empty metallic trays on two long tables that hadn’t been there when Steve had waded into the ocean.

“Hey,” Steve said absently. “You’re a little early. The party’s supposed to start at seven tonight.” The party his friends had planned for him weeks earlier that he’d hoped to convince Danny to attend before this whole debacle happened.

“I’m a busy man,” Kamekona said. “I’m setting up here early so I can handle my other bid’ness.”

“Okay,” Steve said absently, not wanting to even ask about the other business.

“How is the little haole? He still mad?”

Steve shrugged, grabbing his towel. “He has every right to hate me.”

“Naw,” Kamekona said, “he don’t hate you. He’s just hurt right now. Pretty soon you’ll be back to lovin’.”

Steve froze. “We’re just friends.”

“Sure, sure,” Kamekona said, obviously not believing a word of it.

Steve opened his mouth to protest it further but shut it when he realized that while it was true that they were just friends, it wasn’t because Steve didn’t want anything more.

He caught a familiar ringtone, and his heart sped up. Maybe Danny was ready to talk to him, if not forgive him at least yell at him. It’d be a good change from the way Danny ignored him, which hurt much more than he would’ve guessed. He ran to the table on the lanai and picked up the phone.

“Uncle Steve?”

“Grace?” Steve forgot the towel and focused on the teary sound of Grace’s voice. “What’s wrong?”

“Danno’s on the floor, and he won’t wake up!” She started to cry, which in turn seemed to start Jenna’s crying in the background.

“I’ll be right there,” he promised, rushing into the house. “Do you know if he’s breathing?”

“He’s doing this – ” she made a wheezing sound.

“Okay. I’ll be right there.”

“Don’t hang up,” Grace pleaded.

“I won’t,” Steve promised as he took the stairs two at a time. Frantically, he tried to think of something to get the girls to do to keep them occupied. “Can you ask Jenna to go get a blanket so Danno’s not cold?” He grabbed some clothes as Grace repeated the instructions to her older sister. “I’m going to put you on speaker while I get dressed, okay?”

“Are you in your pajamas?” Grace asked, quiver still in her voice.

“I just got back from swimming,” Steve said, pulling on his jeans and throwing on a t-shirt.

“You went to the beach already this morning?”

“I have a beach in my backyard,” Steve told her, grabbing the phone and heading back down the stairs.

“And you swim there everyday?”

“Just about,” Steve told her as he grabbed his shoes and sat in a chair in the living room to throw them on.

Catherine looked up from her coffee on the sofa. Her bed head was pretty impressive. It wasn’t as spectacular as Danny’s, but it put in a good showing. “What’s up?”

Steve took the phone off speaker and put it to his ear. “Danny’s unconscious in the apartment. Can you call 911 and have an ambulance meet me there?”

Concern on her face, Catherine nodded and reached for her phone.

“Grace, are you still there?”

“I’m here.”

“How’s Danno?” He grabbed his keys and jumped into his rental truck.

“He’s still making that noise.”

“Where’s Jenna?” Steve jumped when the passenger door opened, and Catherine hopped inside, a folded pile of clothes on her lap, the phone at her ear as she talked to the emergency dispatcher.

“She’s right here. She put Danno’s blanket on him.” She paused. “Uncle Steve, I’m scared.”

“Everything’s going to be okay,” Steve said, hoping he was telling her the truth. “Once he gets better, I’ll bring you to my house.”

“We can go swimming in your ocean?”

“You sure can. You think we can get Danno out there too?” 

“I don’t know,” Grace said. “Danno doesn’t like to swim.”

“We’ll work on him, the three of us, see what we can do, okay?” Steve took a corner fast, his truck almost on two wheels, before he regained control. To her credit, Catherine just inhaled sharply and hung on.

The rest of the drive was a blur, Steve trying to get there as soon as possible without an accident while keeping Grace and Jenna occupied with things they were going to do at his house once Danny got well.

As far as he was concerned, Danny was going to head straight from the hospital to his house, and the three of them were going to stay with him as long as he could keep them there.

“We’re here, and I’m coming in,” Steve said, parking awkwardly outside of the shop and shooting out of the truck. Thankful he’d kept the key Danny had given him, he unlocked the door and turned off the alarm, waving at Catherine when she told him that she’d wait for the paramedics.

“Gracie, Jenna, I’m here,” Steve said, turning off his phone and shoving it into his pocket.

Jenna ran down the steps and jumped into his arms, Recording Rita smacking him in the back as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. He carried her up the stairs, only putting her down so he could kneel next to Danny.

Each breath seemed to be a struggle for Danny, and Steve berated himself for not ignoring Danny and coming over anyway, forcing him to talk it out, forcing him to accept Steve’s help.

“Danny.” He gently rolled Danny from his side onto his back, noting the sweat on his face.

“Steve!” Catherine called.

“Up here!” He yelled back. He turned to Grace. “Can you show Catherine and the paramedics up here?”

She nodded and hopped up, her footsteps making pounding noises as she thumped down the stairs. “We’re up here!” He heard her call.

A few seconds later, Steve had to step aside in the small room, Grace on one hip and Jenna wrapped around his legs, as the paramedics worked on Danny. Grace hid her face in Steve’s neck, but it could’ve been worse, Steve thought, as they hooked a nasal cannula under Danny’s nose, which seemed to help his breathing some.

Steve was thankful for his large truck as he put the seatbelt on Jenna and let Grace put on her own. Catherine had decided to stay and open up the shop in a few hours, promising to call if she needed some tips on the espresso machine or the ovens. Thankfully, she’d learned a lot the last few days working there, so Steve was sure she’d be fine.

On the way to the hospital, he called Kamekona. “Hey, sorry I took off and left you there.”

“Little haole’s ma’i?”

“Yeah, we’re following the ambulance from the shop now.”

“You need someone to work his shop? I got cousins who do coffee and donuts and stuff.”

“I think Catherine can handle it for now, but thanks. I don’t know about the party tonight – ”

“No worries. I’ll call my cousin, Benny, and the whole island’ll know in, like, ten minutes, fifteen if he’s out fishing.”

“I’m sorry about – ”

“I got your back. You just take care of your ke aloha.”

Steve sputtered, involuntarily looking down at the girls before he said, “He’s not my ke aloha.”

“Fine, your makamaka, then.”

Steve sighed, giving up on that at the moment. “We’re probably not going to be able to see him anyway, since his next of kin are minors.”

“I’ll take care of everything, see you at the hospital.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“You and the keiki are gonna need somethin’ to eat, and that hospital food’ll make you sick.”

The fact that he knew Kamekona was serious actually made Steve smile a little bit. “You’re a good man, no matter what anyone says about you.”

Kamekona harrumphed before hanging up the phone.

“Is Danno going to be okay?” Grace asked, lifting large, tear stained eyes to him and pulling against the seatbelt to snuggle against his side.

He wanted to promise that Danny was going to be good as new, but he couldn’t make himself say the words. He didn’t want to give them false hope, but he couldn’t talk to these girls like they were adults. He tried to think of what Danny might say in a situation like this. “They’re going to do their best at the hospital, and I’m going to be with you both every step of the way.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jenna lean her head against Grace’s shoulder as she clutched her doll, and a wave of protectiveness washed over him. He realized that he’d kill for these two little girls, and he finally understood how Danny’d been able to bear everything. They were worth it.

And that’s when it occurred to Steve that Kamekona had never asked which hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> haole: foreigner  
> makamaka: intimate friend  
> ke aloha: beloved  
> maʻi: sick  
> keiki: children


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I really appreciate all of the comments and kudos; I can't tell you how much your enthusiasm for this story has meant to me. So in honor of that - and because Friday's my favorite day - I'm going to try to post 2 chapters today. This is the first, and I'll get the second one out after I've put the baby on the school bus and reviewed it one last time. So enjoy this chapter, and I'll see you soon.

Chapter 12

They made it to the hospital just behind the ambulance, Steve forced to park farther away than he wanted. He hustled the girls out of the truck and into the hospital, heading directly to the desk.

“We’re here for Danny Williams. The ambulance just brought him in.”

A woman handed him a clipboard with a pen. “If you wouldn’t mind filling these out, a doctor will be with you as soon as they evaluate Mr. Williams’ condition.” She gestured toward the half-filled waiting room, and Steve herded the girls over to some empty chairs. He sat the clipboard on his lap, looking through the papers, realizing that besides Danny’s real name, he didn’t really know anything else about the man. Well, nothing that would be helpful in filling out the forms on the clipboard. He looked at his watch, calculating the time difference, before pulling out his phone and calling his assistant Charlie on the phone.

“I need you to e-mail me Daniel Williams’ franchise documentation.”

“I thought you took those with you,” Charlie said, the sound of clicking keys in the background letting Steve know he was already pulling up the file.

“I can’t get my hands on the paperwork right now, and I need some of the information.”

“Are you going to pull it up on your phone?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Why don’t you tell me what you need, and I’ll read it out for you,” Charlie suggested. “It’ll probably be easier for me to see on my monitor.”

“That would actually be really helpful,” Steve said. “Hold on just a second.”

He found some old kids magazines on one of the little tables and handed them to the girls. “I need some help filling out your Danno’s forms, so can you two look at these while I talk on the phone?”

“You’re not going to leave us?”

“No, Gracie, I’m gonna stay right here with you. Promise.” She and Jenna returned his smile, and he realized that no matter what he did or didn’t promise, those girls trusted him to take care of them.

Feeling the responsibility weighing on him, he forced his attention back to the clipboard in his hands.

Forty frustrating minutes later, Steve hung up with Charlie and stared at the partially completed forms. He was sure Danny had some kind of health insurance – there was no way he’d let the girls go without – but that information wasn’t needed for Danny’s franchise forms. He figured Danny probably used the company whose insurance he was required to have for the shop, but he also knew that privacy laws wouldn’t allow him access to that information without Danny’s approval.

Screw it, he thought. He looked down at the girls. Jenna was doing a maze from one of the magazines while Grace sat there, staring at him. She was so still and quiet that it unnerved him a little.

“Where’d Jenna get the pen?”

“I asked the lady at the desk for it,” she said. “I made sure it was okay that she wrote in it first.” She might’ve been the younger sister, but Grace had already stepped into the role of caretaker. Steve didn’t know any other six year olds, but he was fairly certain that they didn’t go around making sure that it was okay to write in a public magazine.

Steve felt badly for a moment that he hadn’t even noticed Grace’s departure, but he reminded himself that this whole parenting thing was new to him. Besides, she and Jenna were both okay and sitting beside him, and that was what mattered.

He smiled at Grace. “I’m going to take these forms to the desk. I’ll be right back.” She looked worried, so he added, “promise”.

He walked up to the desk, sliding the paperwork at the woman in front of him. “I filled out everything I knew.”

She flipped through the paperwork, and Steve could tell the moment she realized that the insurance portion was blank.

“I’m sure he has insurance, but I don’t have any information about it.” Before she could make a sound, he slid over a black credit card. “I’ll guarantee payment until we can provide you with his insurance card.”

She stared at him for a moment, her eyes fluttering to the girls before returning to his. “I’ll just need to see some identification and have you fill out this form.” She took a new clipboard and inserted a new form as Steve dug out his driver’s license. A few short minutes later, Steve returned to his seat with the new paperwork.

“Steve, I just heard about Danny,” Malia said, appearing in front of them. The girls ran up and gave her hugs as she put an arm around each of them. “How are my girls?”

“Danno’s really sick,” Grace said, and Jenna started to sniffle.

“Hey, now,” Malia said, bending down to look them in the eye. “Your Danno’s young, fit, and strong, and the other doctors here are going to do their best for him. In the meantime, you have Uncle Steve looking after you, right?” She gave Steve a questioning glance as if to check to make sure she was making the right assumptions. Steve nodded and smiled a little at her grin.

“He’s gonna take us swimming in his very own beach,” Grace said.

“I like to swim,” Jenna said, “even though Danno don’t swim.”

“Danno doesn’t swim,” Steve corrected.

“Not according to Danny,” Malia said. “He always says, ‘Danno don’t swim’, just like that, doesn’t he?”

The two girls nodded.

“Have you heard anything?” She asked him quietly.

Steve shook his head. “Not yet. We’ve been here a little over an hour.”

“I’ll see what I can find out. In the meantime, our in-house school opens in about an hour.” She looked down at the girls. “Want to go play with some other kids?”

Steve looked at Malia and said quietly, “Isn’t that for the children of employees?”

Malia gave him a look that certainly made Steve not want to question her any further. If she gave that same look to the people running the school, she wasn’t going to get any questions from them either.

The girls looked uncertainly at Steve, who tried to smile encouragingly at them. “That would be more fun than sitting here, wouldn’t it?” They didn’t look enthusiastic, so Steve tried again. “I’ll come get you right after the doctor comes and talks to me about Danno. I promise.”

“Okay,” Grace agreed.

“Have you had breakfast yet?”

Malia’s question made Steve realize that he hadn’t even thought of breakfast. Why hadn’t that occurred to him? The little girls shook their heads, which made him feel like all kinds of shit for starving the poor worried girls.

Malia seemed to sense his exasperation and smiled at him. “It’s amazing how focused we become when someone we love is in here. How about I meet you in the cafeteria once I find out something?”

“Thanks,” Steve said gratefully. They followed Malia’s directions to the cafeteria, and the little girls were happily munching on breakfast in no time. Grace had ordered eggs and bacon, because, “Danno makes yucky eggs”. She made a face when she said it, making Steve laugh. Jenna had gotten french toast, although Grace said that she only liked it because of the syrup. They both ordered hot chocolates, and Steve could tell that it was something that Danny probably didn’t allow. But he figured that this wasn’t a normal day, and if Danny didn’t want them to have hot chocolate, then he should’ve taken better care of himself. Steve knew was being petty and made them both get small orange juices to make the meal a little healthy.

“Why aren’t you eating, Uncle Steve?” Jenna asked. The girls had chosen to sit together, facing Steve, and he was getting a kick out of watching them enjoy their breakfast.

“I’m not hungry right now,” Steve said. He kept flashing back to seeing Danny unconscious on the floor, and he felt angry all over again – angry at himself for lying to Danny, angry at Danny for being so hardheaded and stubborn. If he’d had his way, Danny would’ve been at his house, and he would’ve been there to help when Danny went down.

“You need to keep up your strength,” Malia said, sitting down beside him and smiling at the girls.

“What’d you find out?” Steve asked, trying to gauge her expression.

“The physical exam showed that Danny was severely dehydrated, and he’s breathing faster than they’d like. His blood pressure is of some concern, and he’s running a fever.”

“Is he awake?”

“Not yet,” Malia said, “but that’s not necessarily a cause for concern yet. They’re still waiting on some other test results, so he’s still being examined. I’m sure he’s going to be spending a few days in the hospital at the very least.” Her eyes flickered toward the girls, and she said, “We’ll get you two into class once you finish eating.”

“I’m finished!” Grace threw back the rest of her orange juice with an expertise that had Steve pretty impressed.

“Me too!” Jenna slurped the last of her hot chocolate with her straw, the sound making Steve wince a little bit. Then she licked syrup from her hand, and Steve looked at Malia helplessly. He could break down and put back together an M16 in the blink of an eye or successfully complete a complicated incursion into hostile territory, but the thought of handling a sticky little girl made him want to hide underneath the table.

Laughter in her voice, Malia said, “why don’t we stop at the restroom on our way so we can clean you up? I’m sure Uncle Steve can clean off the table, right?”

“Absolutely,” Steve said. A couple of trays he could handle, no problem. Thank you, he mouthed to her over the little girls’ heads.

Malia smiled and nodded. “Chin’s going to stop by during his lunch break and check on you, and I’ll come by when I can.”

“You’ve already done so much,” Steve said.

“I’d do anything for these little girls and Danny,” she said, her serious tone subtle but unmistakable.

“Me too,” Steve said, holding her gaze.

After a few seconds, she nodded and smiled again, her attention turning toward the girls. “Say goodbye to Uncle Steve.”

They both gave him hugs, Steve watching helplessly as Jenna’s sticky hands grasped his cargo pants. Sighing in resignation, he patted their heads and tweaked their ears, making them laugh. “Be good, and I’ll come pick you up a little later.”

They followed Malia out of the room, Jenna pausing to give him a final, sticky wave, and he waved back, already feeling the loss of their presence.

He could always wash his pants later.

 

Steve sat in the waiting room, forcing himself not to pace in the crowded area. He’d been there alone with his thoughts for about two hours and was itching for word about Danny. He’d called Catherine so many times that she’d threatened to unplug the phone, telling him to leave her alone but promising to call him if she needed him. Kamekona had sent over two cousins to help her out, and she said that the young women had been a godsend.

His phone rang, and he pounced, grateful for something to take his attention. “Hello?”

“Steven,” his dad’s gruff voice was unmistakable. “I heard your Williams was sent to the emergency room?”

Steve didn’t even question how his father’d found out. John McGarrett and Kamekona both had a scary ability to keep their fingers on breaking news. “Yeah,” he sighed, suddenly very tired. “His two daughters found him unconscious this morning, wheezing on the floor.”

“They’re ten and six, right?”

Steve pictured his father seated behind his desk, Danny’s folder in front of him. “Yeah. They were pretty scared when they called me, but they were terrific, all things considering.”

“They called you?”

“Why wouldn’t they’ve called me?” Steve didn’t mean to sound challenging; even as an adult, he found himself trying to justify his actions to his father, just like when he was a teenager.

“I guess I’m just surprised they called you instead of 911.”

Starting to feel uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation, he said, “Catherine called 911 while we were driving to Danny’s; they were only about two or three minutes behind us. Besides, someone needed to take care of the girls after the EMTs took Danny to the hospital.”

“I’m not saying that it was the wrong thing to do. I’m actually glad that you were there -”

Steve saw a frazzled nurse walk into the room. Recognizing her look, he said, “Dad, I think someone’s here about Danno. I’ll call you back.” He hung up and walked over to her.

“Are you here for Danny Williams?” Her eyes fairly begged him to say yes.

“I am. Steve McGarrett.”

“Great. Follow me.” She turned on her heel, and despite his longer legs, Steve had to press to keep up with her. “Mr. Williams is awake, but he’s being uncooperative. We’re hoping you can calm him down.”

Steve heard Danny before they’d even made it to him. “Where’re my daughters! Get that thing – if you don’t get that out of my face – ”

The nurse pulled open the curtain, and Danny’s look of relief made Steve’s heart swell. “Steve! Where’re my girls?”

“They’re fine. I brought them here, and Malia has them in the hospital’s childcare.”

Danny closed his eyes in relief and then seemed to remember that he and Steve weren’t exactly on the best of terms, and his face became guarded.

Steve decided to ignore it for now. There were other things more important than Danny’s anger, and this wasn’t the time or place for them to discuss it. “Catherine’s at the shop with two of Kamekona’s cousins, so you’re good there.” He risked putting a hand on Danny’s foot, which was covered by a sheet, and squeezing gently. “You need to let the doctors take a look at you and fix you, okay? The girls need you better.” He wanted to say, I need you better, but he knew that would only cause Danny to set his jaw.

Danny sighed, his eyes drooping as he nodded. Steve blinked, and Danny was asleep. He looked to the doctor in alarm as the doctor checked Danny’s vitals before turning to Steve. “Thank you.”

“How is he?”

The man rifled through the papers on his clipboard. “You are?”

“Steve McGarrett,” Steve said, his focused on Danny as he realized that Danny wasn’t wheezing anymore. He figured that was a good sign.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t see you listed as his emergency contact or next of kin, so I can’t legally discuss Mr. Williams’ condition with you.”

“So you can come get me to calm him down, but I’m expected to just go home now? The only family he has are two little girls. Are you going to sit down a ten-year-old girl with Down syndrome and her six-year-old sister and tell them what’s going on?”

The man frowned. “I suppose we can call child services to come collect them until Mr. Williams is better.”

“I’m taking care of them,” Steve growled, stepping toward the man. He felt a measure of satisfaction when the man’s eyes widened nervously. Sticky hands or not, those little girls weren’t going with anyone else but him.

The nurse who’d come to get him slipped a sheet of paper to the doctor, looking apologetic. “I’m sorry, Doctor, but this was left out of Mr. Williams’ file.” She winked at Steve as she passed back behind the curtain.

Confused, Steve looked at the doctor, who sighed. “I apologize, Mr. McGarrett. Normally we’re more organized than this, but it seems that we’ve just located Mr. Williams’ emergency contact form. He turned toward Danny. “Mr. Williams has pneumonia. Normally, that wouldn’t be such a concern with someone his age. However, our tests revealed that he’s severely dehydrated and slightly malnourished. His breathing is still too rapid, and I’m not happy with his current blood pressure or his fever. His altered mental status – the lethargy, his confusion – are also a cause for concern. Using what we call the Pneumonia Severity Index, kind of a checklist used to determine the severity of a patient’s condition, we’ve determined that we need to treat Mr. Williams here for a day or two.”

“So what’s the plan?” Steve asked, feeling himself fall back into his military habits. All of those symptoms sounded pretty bad, leaving him feeling helpless. He needed a plan, something he could work with.

“We’re going to admit him, put him on intravenous antibiotics and continue to monitor his vitals.”

“How long do you think he’ll have to stay?”

“The standard treatment is five to eight days, but I want to play this by ear, make sure he’s stable before I give you a specific time frame. I believe that most people can heal better at home in the comfort of their own beds, provided they have a solid support system, but I’m not going to sign off on his release until I’m comfortable that it won’t adversely affect his recuperation. We’re going to monitor his vitals, see how well he eats, test his mental function, and then we can move forward from there. Once we get him stable, we’ll start with chest therapy to loosen and get that mucus out of his lungs. More than likely, he’ll still have to work on this once we’ve released him. And of course he’ll have to return for at least one follow-up.”

“He’s not contagious, right?” Steve asked. “His girls important are to him, and he’s all they have. If I can, I’d like to bring them to see him.”

“He’s not contagious, but I would like to limit their visitation. I get the feeling that he’s run himself down quite a bit, focusing on others rather than himself, and this probably weakened his immune system. I won’t set specific visitation times, but at least for today, no more than five minutes.”

Steve nodded, shaking the doctor’s hand. “Thanks, Doctor…”

“Malajandro,” the man said, shaking Steve’s hand. “My pleasure. And again, I apologize for the miscommunication.”

Steve had no idea how the emergency contact form appeared – he knew there was no way Danny’d had anything to do with that – but he wasn’t about to miss an opportunity. “It happens,” he said graciously.

“I’ll have the nurse come and get you once we have him settled into a room.”

Steve nodded, squeezing Danny’s foot one last time before returning to the waiting room.

“How’s the little man?” Kamekona said as soon as Steve entered the room.

Steve stopped, surprised. Kamekona stood beside Chin and Kono and, most surprisingly, Mrs. Pukahi. Steve felt his smile falter slightly as Felix stepped up behind her. “He has pneumonia.”

“That’s not too bad, right?” Kono asked.

“They’re going to admit him,” Steve said as he felt their shock, “but he’s going to be fine.”

“But he’s so young. I thought it was more of a danger for, like, babies and old people.” Kono’s eyes slid momentarily toward Mrs. Pukahi, but the woman was nodding in agreement.

“He’s dehydrated and slightly malnourished and has a fever. They want to make sure he’s stable before sending him home.”

“How long are they thinking?” Chin asked.

“The doctor didn’t want to commit to anything. He’s more of a let’s wait and see how things go kind of guy, but I got the feeling that it’s going to be at least couple of days.”

“Were you able to talk to Danny about the girls?”

Steve shook his head. “He was awake just long enough for me to assure him that they were fine, but they’ll stay with me.”

No one seemed to have a problem with that. Chin nodded as though he’d never thought any differently. Kono just grinned at him.

“I brought food,” Kamekona said, moving aside to reveal a chair filled with foil tins.

Frowning, Steve walked closer. “I appreciate the thought, buddy, but that’s way more than I can eat.”

“It’s for you, the keiki, and the nurses and doctors on Danny’s floor. A full staff is a happy staff, and a happy staff will take good care of the little haole, get him on his feet quicker.”

“Where’re the girls? Mrs. Pukahi asked.

“My wife works here and got them in the in-house daycare. She figured it would give Steve a chance to talk to the doctor privately.”

Kono looked at her watch. “I have to get back.”

“How’d you get away?” Steve asked curiously.

She shrugged one shoulder. “I told them that I had a family emergency.” She saw Steve’s smile. “What? Danny’s ohana.”

Chin nodded. “Even if he doesn’t realize it,” he muttered. “I have to get back too.” He settled his gaze on Steve. “Keep us posted and let us know what we can do to help.”

“I will,” Steve promised.

“Some women are working at his shop,” Mrs. Pukahi said. “I’ll keep an eye on them.”

Steve felt his lips twitch but tried to look serious as he nodded to the older woman. “I’m sure Danny would appreciate it.” He forced himself to nod at Felix. “Thanks for coming.”

The man looked ruefully at Steve. “I’m Mrs. Pukahi’s ride, but I was worried about Danny too. I’m glad he has someone who’ll make sure he takes care of himself.”

“I will,” Steve promised, relaxing now that he knew that they understood each other and knew each of their places in Danny’s life.

Steve still didn’t really like him, though.

Steve waited until the others had left before saying conversationally to Kamekona, “So, I was in with the doctor, and he refused to talk to me about Danny’s case until they conveniently found a form listing me as his emergency contact.”

“That so?” Kamekona’s voice was just as nonchalant, but he had a twinkle in his eye. “What good luck.”

“It was, wasn’t it? And perfect timing.”

“I’m so glad they found that missing paper.”

“I didn’t tell you it was missing.”

“You didn’t?”

Steve shook his head.

“You sure?”

“You know, I’m in a world of trouble if they look and find out that Danny’s signature’s been forged.”

“I guess it’s a good thing that it’s his signature, then, ain’t it?”

Steve looked at him, wanting to ask but not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

Kamekona shrugged. “People sign things all the time, things like emergency forms and franchise contracts.”

Steve’d expected a delivery form or a credit card receipt. He hadn’t anticipated that Kamekona could get his hands on Danny’s contract. Catherine had access, but she would’ve run it past him before giving Kamekona a copy of that. Steve had the contract electronically on a thumb drive, but that drive was locked in his safe back at the house, and not even Kamekona could even find it, much less access it. He stared at Kamekona using the stare he used to use when he was a SEAL that broke many under his command.

Kamekona just stared placidly at him with a small smile on his face.

“Fine,” Steve muttered. “Thanks, though.”

“For the eats? Like I told you, I got you.”

“Well, it’ll probably only last until Danny wakes up and remember that he currently hates me.”

“He don’t hate you. It’s just a love tiff.”

“For the last time, Danny and I are just friends.”

“Of course you are.”

Steve gave up, clapping Kamekona on the shoulder and peeking at the food.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, as promised, the second chapter of the day. I hope everyone enjoys it.
> 
> And again, thanks for the support. It's been incredible, and really means so much.

Chapter 13

When Danny awoke, his brain was fuzzy, and he couldn’t focus. He was supposed to be doing something; what was he supposed to be doing? He didn’t hear his alarm. His throat hurt, his chest hurt, and he was supposed to be doing something. He needed to figure it out before he got behind. First, he needed to figure out what time it was. Or maybe what day it was. Maybe it was the weekend, and he didn’t have to get Grace ready for school. But he still had to get the pretzels ready for the day. It was too bright to be nighttime. He looked around the room. This wasn’t his room; this wasn’t even the apartment. It took a few seconds for him to realize that he was in the hospital. His head was starting to hurt, and he absently rubbed underneath his nose.

“Hey, leave that there.”

That was Steve. What was Steve doing in his apartment? Wait. This wasn’t his apartment. Was this Steve’s house? Where were the girls? “The girls.”

“There’re right over here, asleep.”

Danny lifted his head with effort. When did his head get so heavy? Two Steves stared at him from across the room. He blinked, and they merged into one. He blinked again and saw a girl leaning against each side of Steve, both clearly asleep. “How long?”

“How long you were asleep? Or how long we’ve been sitting here?”

Danny licked his lips. “Both? Either?”

Steve slowly shifted his arm so he could look at his watch. “You’ve been here about eight hours. I brought the girls up about three hours ago.”

Danny wasn’t sure how long he stared at Steve before he realized that Steve had stopped talking. Whatever drug they had flowing into his veins from the nearby IV bag made it too difficult to understand all of the words coming out of Steve’s mouth. And it had been too long since he’d seen Steve; he’d missed him so damned much. Steve had so subtly ingrained himself into Danny’s life that his ghost seemed everywhere. And he’d been fun, fun to argue with, fun to joke with, fun to watch as Steve interacted with his kids. Then Danny remembered that thinking along those lines inevitably led to his wondering if it’d all been a lie, a calculation to dig up every infraction he could so he could hand it all over to Victor Hesse.

Danny wanted to stay angry, but his chest, throat, and head hurt, and Steve was looking good and comfortable with the kids draped over him…

So he just went back to sleep.

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Steve opened his eyes when Danny’s hospital room door opened. The unfamiliar squeak of shoes caught his attention, and he looked up, his body prepared to protect the three important people in the room. He relaxed when he recognized Chin.

“Hey, brah, just checking in,” Chin whispered, stepping inside once he caught Steve’s eye.

“Hey.” Steve stretched as much as he could while being held down by two unconscious children.

Chin chuckled lightly. “They have you pinned.”

“I know it goes against all rules of science, but I think they grow in mass when they fall asleep.”

“How about Malia and I take them off your hands? I’m off tomorrow, so they can sleep in, and I’ll bring them back late tomorrow morning. She’s finishing up now.”

Steve hesitated. His fingers were tingling due to the loss of circulation, but he found the girls’ presence comforting. They were both vital parts of Danny, and he liked having them close.

“You and Danny need to clear up some things before he’s going to agree to stay with you, and little ears shouldn’t be around to hear the words I imagine Danny’s gonna use.”

Steve felt his ears grow hot, but he couldn’t refute anything Chin said. “You and Malia should have kids.”

Chin threw him a grin. “What makes you think we aren’t trying?”

“Really?”

Chin laughed softly.

“You two are going to be great parents.”

“You’ve gotten enough practice with mine,” Danny said, his voice scratchy.

“Hey, how’re you feeling?” Chin asked, walking over to the bed.

“Confused and sore. I can’t remember how I got here,” Danny explained further.

“You passed out, and Grace called Steve, who got you some help.”

“What happened?”

“I’ll let Steve give you the details,” Chin said. “Malia and I are going to take the girls for the night.”

“You’re a good friend,” Danny said. “Tell Malia I said thanks, and give her a kiss from me.”

“All of my kisses are from me, thank you very much.”

The door opened, and Malia slipped inside. “How’re you doing?” She reached for the clipboard at the end of the bed.

“You tell me.”

“Have you talked to your doctor yet?”

“If I have, I don’t remember.”

Steve shook his head. “He woke up two or three times but asked the same questions before falling asleep again. This is the longest he’s been awake so far.”

Malia sighed and closed the chart, returning it to the foot of the bed. “You need to take care of yourself. You were dehydrated and malnourished.”

Danny frowned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I mean I haven’t been feeling all that great, but…” He ran a hand through his hair. “Maybe I haven’t drinking much lately, but I’ve been eating. I’m sure I’ve been eating.”

“Danno?” Grace crawled over Steve, who had to do some quick squirming to avoid feet and elbows in particularly sensitive areas. She ran over to the bed, and Chin lifted her up. She crawled over to him, and Steve bit back a grin as he saw Danny shift to avoid a knee. She stopped with her face inches away from him. “You scared me.”

“I’m sorry, Monkey.”

“Don’t do that anymore.”

“I promise that I’ll do my best.”

Jenna snuffled, opening her eyes and giving Steve a smile that melted his heart all over again. “Uncle Steve,” she murmured, smiling softly and touching his cheek.

“Jenna. Danno’s awake.” Grace said.

“Danno?” Jenna’s head popped up, and Steve carried her over to the bed. She crawled on the opposite side from Grace, and they both rubbed their faces against Danny’s neck.

“My girls,” Danny said, smiling as his eyes closed.

“And he’s out again,” Steve said, worried. He looked at Malia. “Is this normal?”

“His body’s sick and tired. Sleeping’s the best thing for him right now. That and the antibiotics.” She smiled.

The door opened a third time, this time revealing Dr. Malajandro. He’d come in a few times, always missing Danny awake, but he never really seemed worried about it. He exchanged a few quick pleasantries with Malia before turning to Steve. “Has he woken up again?”

Steve nodded. “He stayed awake longer this time.”

“Same questions?”

“Only one question this time, but Chin was here, and the girls woke up.”

“I see that,” Malajandro said, smiling at the picture of the three lying on the bed. “Hi, ladies. My name’s Doctor Malajandro.”

“Hi,” the girls said.

“You’re making Danno feel better?” Grace asked.

“I am, along with the nurses.” He looked at his watch. “I have rounds in a few minutes, but I wanted to examine your dad again.”

“We’re getting ready to take them home with us anyway,” Malia said. “Jenna, Grace, give your dad a kiss, and let’s go. We’ll come back tomorrow.”

They kissed their sleeping father on the cheek, and Malajandro helped them off the bed.

“They ate about two and a half hours ago, but it was Kamekona’s food, so they might be good for the rest of the night,” Steve told Chin and Malia, who laughed. He took Jenna and Grace’s hands. “I’ll walk you out to the car so the doctor can focus on Danny.”

By the time they’d arrived at Malia’s car in the employee parking lot, the only sticking point they’d found in the plan was that the girls didn’t have a change of clothes with them. Even though he’d never said anything, Danny obviously held their upstairs apartments sacred. Chin had never been up there; they knew that Kono’d had to go up once and felt all kinds of awkward about it, leaving as soon as she got what was needed. Steve could count on one hand the times he’d gone up there. They all seemed uncomfortable inviting themselves upstairs, even to just get needed items for the girls. They finally decided to make a special stop at a nearby store and buy everything they needed.

“She loves buying for kids,” Chin said in a mock whisper. “She’s been wanting to do this for a long time.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Malia protested. “You’re the one who held up that top the other day, all ‘wouldn’t this look cute on the girls?’.”

“You’ve been working too hard; you’re starting to hallucinate,” Chin told her, kissing the top of her head. “I’ll meet you at the store.”

Malia pushed him away with a soft smile and said goodbye to Steve, waiting for him to kiss both girls goodbye, promising that he’d see them tomorrow. Inwardly, he hoped that Danny would have softened some by then so he could make good on that promise. He figured that if worse came to worse, he could see them out in the waiting room. He continued to wave back at the girls until Malia’s car turned out of the parking lot.

Steve walked Chin to his motorcycle. “Thanks for taking them.”

“We always love to have them, and until you got here, we had the hardest time convincing Danny to let us watch them for even a few hours.”

“At least I helped with something.”

“You’ve helped more than you know. Take my word for it; Danny’s changed a lot since you got here. He’s opened up, actually accepts help.”

“This is Danny accepting help?”

Chin chuckled. “The fact that he’s changed so much tells you how bad it was before. In fact, I’m surprised that this – ” he tilted his head toward the hospital – “hadn’t happened earlier.”

“It’s my fault. He was walking on this fine edge, and then Victor Hesse and I knocked him right off.”

“Maybe it’s worth it if he learns that he has a soft place to land,” Chin suggested, grabbing his helmet and hopping on his bike. He paused a moment, staring at the helmet. “It’s none of my business.”

“Go ahead,” Steve prompted. Chin was more than a friend. He was ohana.

“I get the feeling that there’s… something between the two of you.”

“Maybe,” Steve said, trying to gauge Chin’s reaction.

“Danny’s not the most aware or experienced when it comes to the heart, and the few attempts he’s made have really hurt him.” Chin looked up. “If you’re interested, you’re going to have to let him know.”

“He doesn’t even trust me right now,” Steve protested.

“He’s hurt – and he doesn’t know the whole story. Sit down with him. Talk with him. See if you can work it out.”

“You think he’ll let me get a word in?” Steve asked.

“He’s having trouble breathing. Now’s the perfect time.” They laughed, and Chin strapped on his helmet. “I’d better go. I’m sure Malia has at least three outfits for each girl by now.”

Steve got the feeling that Chin more than likely wanted to grab his own three outfit choices and stepped aside, waving as Chin pulled away.

As he walked into the elevator, Steve decided that Chin was right. Danny was a captive audience right now, and he wasn’t up to going on one of his tirades. He just hoped Danny stayed awake long enough to hear him out.

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Danny woke up again to find a doctor standing over him.

“Mr. Williams, it’s about time we finally met. I’m Doctor Malajandro, and I’ve been treating you since you were brought into the ER this morning.”

“Hi,” Danny croaked.

“As I told Mr. McGarrett, you have a bad case of pneumonia, most likely brought on by…”

Danny heard Steve’s name and promptly lost track of what the doctor was saying. Why was he talking to Steve about Danny’s condition? He’d never been one for regular checkups, but he’d thought that the doctor needed some sort of permission to share his information with other people. But then again, maybe there were different rules when the sick person’s next of kin were six and ten years old.

He’d worried about this, about what would happen to the girls if something happened to him, and true to form, he’d just thrown back some Echinacea and pretended that it wouldn’t ever happen.

And now here he was, stuck in the hospital, accruing bills he’d never be able to pay, with a shop that was only open because Steve for some reason refused to just let it go.

Danny recognized his mistake. He’d begun to wallow in hopelessness, and he’d forgotten that he had two reasons to fight. He just didn’t know what he was supposed to fight for. Victor Hesse had made it clear that his goal in life was to ruin Danny any way he could; so obviously, Danny’s career with Boone Pretzels was over. The problem was, he didn’t have any other marketable skills.

He supposed he could try to get a job as a manager in a restaurant or a diner, but how many places would allow Jenna to stay with him all day? And he’d have to find a new place for them to live and would probably have to buy a car. Even returning to the mainland would be expensive.

He had many options, just none that were viable. Or affordable. If he couldn’t provide for his kids, they’d be taken away from him, and he just couldn’t allow that to happen.

“Mr. Williams! You need to relax! You’re breathing too quickly!”

Danny realized that he’d allowed his panic to overwhelm him, and he tried to calm down, he really did. But then he pictured his girls, and the worry made his chest ache.

“Mr. Williams, I’m going to have to sedate you if you don’t calm down.”

Danny wanted to say that he was trying, but he couldn’t catch his breath to talk. The thought made him laugh, but it came out as a weak, wet cough.

Suddenly, he felt someone take his hand and felt it pressed to a chest. He knew that chest. “Danno, breathe with me.” He tried, but he just couldn’t catch his breath. “Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.” Eventually, Danny was able to match his breaths with Steve until he was relaxed enough to open his eyes. Finding Steve staring at him, standing so close that he could count Steve’s long eyelashes, he almost lost his breath again. The concern in his eyes made Danny start to reconsider his opinion on Steve’s motivations. Maybe he did care a little bit.

Steve started to back away, but Danny suddenly found his hand fisting in Steve’s shirt, unwilling to let him go just yet.

“I need to let Doctor Malajandro in here to take a look at you. I’m just going to be right over here. I’m not going far.”

Danny knew he’d probably be horrified later, but for the moment, he soaked in the reassurance he felt in Steve’s presence. Reluctantly, he let go, smiling wryly at the oxygen mask in Malajandro’s hand.

“I’m still going to put this on you,” Malajandro said. “We’ll revisit the cannula in a few hours.”

Danny felt himself slipping away, but he looked at Steve, wishing he could ask him not to leave.

Steve seemed to understand, because he smiled and said, “I’ll be here when you wake up.”


	14. Chapter 14

Danny wasn’t sure how long he’d been asleep this time, but true to his word, Steve was sitting right beside him when he woke up.

Steve rubbed a hand over his face. “I’m going to take advantage of the fact that you can’t speak to force you to let me explain.”

For the first time, Danny was ready to listen, so he didn’t even bother to touch the oxygen mask.

Steve smiled faintly, and Danny assumed it was because of his uncharacteristic silence. “Boone Pretzels was started by my great-great grandfather on my mother’s side and has remained family owned and managed, with my father taking over and moving to DC after my mom’s dad died.

Danny thought back to what Steve had told him before, putting together some pieces. “You stayed with Chin?” His voice was muffled through the mask, but Steve seemed to understand.

Steve nodded. “Yeah, that was when I stayed with Chin’s family to finish high school here.”

“Chin called me one day, congratulating me on our new delicious pineapple pretzels. I pride myself on keeping my eye on what’s going on throughout the company, so I knew for a fact that we didn’t make pineapple pretzels, delicious or otherwise. He mentioned the peanut butter and jelly ones as well, and I knew I had to see what was going on.

“It was cold on the East Coast, and I admit that I was missing Hawaii, so I figured I’d come home, see what was going on, and then head back to DC in a few days. Normally, I would’ve contacted our franchise group and had them take care of it, but I haven’t trusted Victor Hesse from the moment I set eyes on him, and something told me to keep this quiet. So I decided to handle it myself, figuring that I could always get him involved later if I thought the situation merited it.

“What I didn’t count on was a mouthy New Jersey transplant who, despite every effort from the corporate office to make him fail, was doing a terrific job running his shop. And not only that, he was raising two amazing girls all by himself.”

Danny felt a small surge of pride at Steve’s words, even though he wasn’t completely sure he agreed with him. Doing a terrific job to him didn’t include barely getting by, unable to take his daughters to the beach. He forced himself to stop thinking about that and to listen to what else Steve wanted to say.

“I didn’t lie about being a former SEAL or still trying to figure out my place in life. I got out of the Navy after my father’s heart attack to help with the business, and I’ve been there for two years. It’s a good job, it’s fine, and I know I’m lucky to have it. But it doesn’t really challenge me, and I realized after being here that I want – I need – more.”

Danny thought that running a corporation sounded like a good life to him. Steve probably owned a large apartment in a building with a doorman, front desk, and one of those fitness centers. He probably also had a car that cost more than Danny netted in a year.

Steve smiled faintly. “Wow, you always say I have looks, but you do too. Yeah, my life back there is pretty cushy. I had to soak my feet after every night after my shift the first week I worked for you, and my hands are rough from washing them every five minutes. But it felt good not sitting behind a desk for fourteen hours.

“That’s another thing. My life back there consists of working, eating out, working out, working some more, and then some sleep.”

_And Catherine_ , Danny thought.

“I do have a few acquaintances and a couple of friends, but I spend most of my waking hours at work. I suppose that’s why Catherine’s one of my best friends. Her office is right down the hall, so it’s easy to go out for a drink when I can get away.”

Danny didn’t want to hear about Catherine. He closed his eyes and turned his head, hoping Steve would get the hint and stop talking.

“Hey.”

Danny ignored him.

“Danny, look at me.”

Why was it the one time he wanted to go to sleep, he felt wide awake?

“Catherine’s just a friend.”

Danny couldn’t ignore such a blatant lie and flipped his head back around, glaring at Steve.

“I’m not lying! Sure, we have sex, but it’s, well, it’s just friends having sex.”

Danny blinked at him. He’d never heard of any friends who would fly all the way to Hawaii just to help a person out without there being something else going on. “I call bullshit,” he said, this time starting a coughing jag.

“You just can’t stay quiet, can you?” Steve asked with a smile and a small shake of his head.

Danny wasn’t finished. As soon as he caught his breath, he inhaled as much as he could – which wasn’t much – and pulled the mask off just enough to wheeze, “She flew to Hawaii for you.” This time, he only coughed a couple of times.

“Keep that on,” Steve said, taking the mask out of Danny’s hand and resettling it on his face.

“Catherine was the only one who knew what I was doing. I didn’t even tell dad. So when she found out that Hesse was supposed to be checking on his franchises but mysteriously seemed to have some time blacked out that would be perfect for a surprise visit to Hawaii, she figured that I – we – might need some backup. And she was right.”

Steve paused for a moment. “At first I thought Hesse was out to get me, but once I realized that it wasn’t incompetence that left you on your own, that he’d been deliberately sabotaging you all this time, I realized that bugging me was just an added benefit. I don’t know why he has it in for you, but from what I can tell, Hesse has been gunning for you since before you opened the franchise here.”

Steve didn’t know the half of it, and even if he could talk, Danny didn’t want to tell him.

“I don’t know what happened between the two of you, but I promise you that you won’t lose your franchise.”

Danny wanted to tell Steve not to promise something he couldn’t deliver, but he suddenly felt so tired.

“Just rest. I got you, Danno.”

The part of Danny that had learned early on that he could rely only on himself wanted to tell Steve to go away. But he had to be honest with himself. He didn’t want Steve to go away. He liked seeing Steve’s face every day. He liked the way Steve’s eyes lit up when he smiled, the goofy look he got when the espresso machine spit steamed milk at Danny, his soft expression when he looked at the girls.

Danny’s last thought as he fell asleep was that it was nice to be able to relax for once and know that everything was not going to fall apart.

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Steve hugged the girls and, of course, Recording Rita when Malia and Chin brought them back the next day. It’d been perfect timing, because Danny was just starting to wake up, smiling and blinking owlishly at them as they crawled up to him. He hadn’t shaved in a few days, and Steve found himself wanting to run his hands over Danny’s chin and feel the bristles against his own cheek.

Steve hadn’t been with anyone since he and Catherine had spent the night together a few days before he left for Hawaii, and after he’d met Danny, he hadn’t really wanted to be with anyone else. But it’d been years since he’d been with a man, and he found himself intrigued with Danny’s compact, yet firm, body. He liked that he could bump against the shorter man, and Danny wouldn’t budge. He found himself lying in bed at night wondering how Danny’s arms would look outside of those tight button-down shirts he wore, wanting to pull off Danny’s stupid tie and nuzzle down Danny’s neck. He wanted Danny’s strong hands running down his body. He’d spent almost every night, jerking himself off while pretending it was Danny’s hand. It got him off every time.

Tamping down those wayward thoughts, he walked over to Chin, who was standing by the door, small smile on his face as he watched Malia and the girls hover over Danny’s bed, each girl talking over each other as they caught Danny up on how they spent their time away.

“How’d it go?” Steve asked Chin quietly.

“Danny’s probably going to be pissed, but each girl has three new outfits plus a pair of pajamas. Even Recording Rita got some new clothes.”

Steve chuckled.

“We almost had a catastrophe on our hands when Jenna put Recording Rita down to try on a pair of pants, and she accidentally left the doll in the dressing room. I’ve never seen her so upset. Grace was really awesome with her, though, talking to her and hugging her until we put Rita back in Jenna’s arms.” Chin looked disturbed. “There’s something I think you should hear, though.”

Steve turned, his back to the bed. “Do you want to take a walk?”

Chin shook his head. “I sent it as an audio file to your phone. Just wait until you’re alone to play it.”

“What’s it about?”

Chin’s eyes flickered over to the bed before returning to Steve. “Let’s just say that Recording Rita more than did her job when Hesse was in Danny’s shop.”

Steve wanted to head out now to hear it, but the laughter on the opposite side of the room drew his attention, and he figured he’d waited this long, he could listen to it a little later after they wheeled Danny out of his room for more tests.

“I should’ve told Danny the truth from the beginning,” Steve found himself confessing quietly, watching Danny smile at something Grace was telling him.

“His being in the hospital aside,” Chin said, “I think this worked out quite well.”

Steve shot him a surprised look. “You’ve been at me all of this time to tell him the truth.”

“If you’d gone in there and told Danny the truth at the beginning, he would’ve kicked you out on your ass. This way, you gave him time to get to know you. Sure, he didn’t know that your family was the Boone in Boone Pretzels, but he got to know the important things, like who you are as a person. He’s letting all of us help him now, something he’d never done before you came along. And he smiles now, at people other than the girls. In fact, I think I saw him slip a few times and actually smile at customers.”

“It was probably gas,” Steve said, chuckling.

Chin grinned. “I’m off today, so I thought I’d take the girls to the park for a while, maybe bring them back here so they could have lunch with their dad.”

“That’d be great. I need to talk to the office, put some plans in motion. Plus, I want to stop by the shop, give Catherine a break.”

“Kono didn’t have to go in until later, so she’s there now with some of Kamekona’s cousins.” Chin rolled his eyes. “Some of Kamekona’s male cousins. They found out that Kono was going to be there –”

“ – and suddenly decided to try out gainful employment?” Steve guessed. “Do they realize that she’s in the police academy and won’t have a problem arresting them in a few months?”

“I’m sure she’ll find a way to work that into the conversation.”

“At the end of their shifts,” they both said together, sharing a grin.

“I have to get to work,” Malia said, giving the girls a hug and Jenna’s doll a pat on the head. She gave Danny a soft look. “I’ll look in on you later.”

“Thanks,” Danny said, that one word filled with meaning.

“Any time,” Malia said, giving Steve a smile and Chin a kiss before walking out of the room.

“So, how about that trip to the park?” Chin asked. “We’ll come back later so you can have lunch with Danny.”

Steve helped the girls clamor off the bed after they dowsed Danny with kisses, and they each took one of Chin’s hands.

“Be good for Chin,” Danny called, fighting off the coughs until they left the room.

“I let the talking go, but you know that Malajandro’s gonna be pissed.” Steve slid some ice chips into Danny’s mouth.

“Thanks,” Danny whispered, his voice hoarse.

Just convincing Danny to let him spoon ice chips into his mouth had been a challenge. Danny’d been determined to do it himself, so Steve finally just handed him the cup of ice and a spoon and sat back, arms crossed, as Danny got ice everywhere but inside his mouth. “Ready for some help now?”

Danny’d slumped back, looking defeated, as he nodded.

“We all need help sometimes; it doesn’t make you weak,” Steve said, picking up the ice off of Danny’s blanket.

“It just feels… wrong,” Danny wheezed.

“That’s because you’re not used to it,” Steve said, deciding to change tactics. “Think of it this way: we all need to be needed. You’re doing Malia and Chin a favor by letting them take the girls, because until they start a family of their own, they have all of this extra love they want to give. Sitting around not being able to do anything drives me nuts, so helping you actually reach your mouth helps me feel like I’m doing at least a little bit of good. I know for a fact that while she’s enjoying the academy, Kono misses working at the shop, because she enjoys being around ohana.”

“Ohana,” Danny mused. “That’s what exactly?”

“Family,” Steve explained, “not necessarily the blood relations but the ones you choose.”

Danny was silent for a little while, absently eating the ice chips that Steve fed him. Finally, he asked, “So, I’m ohana, yeah?”

“Kamekona doesn’t bring food to the hospital for just anyone,” Steve said, teasing him as he replaced Danny’s mask.

So now Danny let him feed him ice chips without comment, and Steve thought that was a success. He thought about what Chin had said and realized that he too had changed since he’d returned to Hawaii. He found that even though it hadn’t necessarily been the smartest move, he liked that Grace called him before 911. Chin, Malia, Kono, and Catherine looked to him to make the decisions while Danny was out of commission. Catherine made sense; he was her boss, so her referring to him was natural. But the rest of them just assumed that Steve was the go-to guy, and he liked being that for Danny. He liked waking up early and going for a swim. He liked spending time with Danny and the girls, with Chin and Malia. He missed Hawaii and realized that he didn’t want to leave Danny or the rest of his ohana behind.

A quick knock on the door, and Doctor Malajandro entered. “How are we doing today?”

Danny reached for his mask.

“Leave that there for now,” Malajandro ordered.

Danny rolled his eyes as he looked at Steve, and Steve grinned. He could almost hear the words, “Why did he ask me a question if he didn’t want me to answer?”

“He coughed a little bit throughout the night. One of the nurses said I could feed him a few ice chips.”

Malajandro nodded absently, looking through Danny’s chart. “One of the orderlies’ll be by in a few minutes to take you down for your tests, but things are looking pretty good.”

Danny nodded.

“I’ll come by later and go through the tests results with you. Sound good?”

Danny nodded again. “Thanks, Doc.”

Malajandro pointed the chart at Danny. “No talking!”

Danny shook his head, grinning.

With a shake of his head, Malajandro left the room.

“I have to check in at work, make some calls. I’ll see you after your tests, okay?”

Danny started to get that look, like he wanted to tell Steve that he didn’t have to come back, but Steve’d gotten wounded once or twice as a SEAL and knew how it would’ve felt if he’d had someone there when he awoke.

“Remember, helping you helps us,” he reminded the sick man, and Danny gave a shallow sigh, coughing once as he nodded.

“Good boy,” Steve teased, earning himself a glare. He laughed, stretching as he stood, enjoying watching Danny try not to ogle him as he deliberately, slowly, reached his arms above his head. “I’ll be back in a few hours,” he promised, finally giving in to an urge and squeezing Danny’s shoulder before he walked to the door.

A clanging noise caught his attention, and he looked back at the bed while he opened the door.

“Thanks,” Danny mouthed.

“Anytime,” he answered, feeling a happy warmth inside as he left the room.  As soon as he felt the door close, Steve pulled up Chin’s text.

_Turns out, Recording Rita can be helpful sometimes. Sorry for the poor sound quality._

Pressing a few buttons, he listened to the audio file. He had to listen twice before he was sure he’d understood. Afterward, he called up Charlie. “Hey, I need your help…”


	15. Chapter 15

Four hours later, Steve sprinted into the hospital. He’d managed to go for a short swim and take a twenty-minute power nap in between working with Catherine and Charlie to firm up their case. He’d been sitting in his car for the past fifteen minutes talking to his father, because he wanted to be the one to explain to Danny in person. He jammed his finger in the already lit up button on the elevator, knowing it wasn’t going to make it come faster, but it felt good doing something. He ignored the wary woman standing beside him and hoped that Danny hadn’t given up on him. He knew it was a crucial time in their relationship, and he didn’t want to give Danny any opportunity to feel that Steve wasn’t someone he could rely on.

He forced himself to walk calmly to Danny’s room and could hear the laughter halfway down the hallway. He knocked and opened the door, finding Grace and Jenna sitting at the foot of Danny’s bed with plates in their laps. Chin sat on one of the guest chairs, wiping his face with a napkin. Danny sat upright in his bed, nasal cannula back to replace the mask. His food sat untouched on the tray table.

“Uncle Steve!” Jenna bounced, making Danny reach for her plate.

“We’re having a picnic,” Grace informed him, popping a blueberry into her mouth.

“McDonalds, hooray!” Jenna cheered.

Steve looked reproachfully at Chin, who shrugged. “They asked for it. I told them they could each have a happy meal as long as they also ate the fruits and veggies I bought them.

Steve knew that the girls’d had healthy meals with Chin and Malia and figured that Chin thought a little treat would be good for them. Heavens knew, while he was proud of his company’s pretzels, he wouldn’t have marked them for being the most healthy of options, and the girls ate those consistently. Having burgers and fries as a special treat wouldn’t hurt them.

“I’ll have to cook you hamburgers on the grill when you come to my house,” Steve said. “They’re even better than McDonalds.”

The girls looked like they didn’t believe him.

“He’s right,” Chin confirmed. “They’re really good.”

“And we can go swimming in your ocean like you said?” Grace asked.

“What have you been promising them, Steven?” Danny asked, his voice teasing.

“I told them that they could come over and swim,” Steve admitted, sitting in what he realized had become his chair.

“We’re really excited,” Grace informed her father, and Jenna nodded. “Uncle Chin’s gonna come too.”

Steve noticed Danny’s shared smile with Chin and realized that this was probably the first time Grace had called Chin anything other than just by his first name. He liked the idea that the Williams were growing stronger roots in Hawaii.

“Why am I the last to know about this?” Danny complained.

“Well, you were unconscious when we started planning it,” Steve told him. “If you want to be involved in our plans, then don’t let yourself get this sick again.”

“I guess I’ll have to be careful of that from now on,” Danny said, sharing a smile with Steve.

“How did the tests go?”

Danny shrugged. “We’ll have to see what the doc says when he comes by. Hopefully, he’ll cut me loose soon. My crappy health insurance isn’t going to cough up enough dough for all of this.” He glared at Steve. “Someone had given them a credit card for payment. Who does that?”

Steve blinked innocently at him.

“I suppose it was someone who cared a lot about you,” Chin piped in from Danny’s opposite side.

Danny’s face grew soft, thoughtful, as he continued to stare at Steve. “I guess so.”

Steve felt a goofy smile cover his face, but it didn’t matter, because Danny had a matching one on his.

Chin huffed and stood. “I’m going to head out.”

Danny held out his hand. “Thanks, man, for everything.”

“Thanks for finally letting us help.” Chin shook Danny’s hand, gave the girls hugs, clapped Steve on the shoulder, and left the room.

“How’re you feeling?” Steve asked, watching Danny rescue a stray blueberry and pop it into Grace’s mouth.

“I’m okay,” Danny said. “My throat still hurts, but it’s better than last night. They made me do this awful coughing thing to loosen the crap in my lungs.”

“Sounds painful,” Steve thought, remembering how much the coughing had hurt Danny’s throat the night before.

“And nasty,” Danny said, thankfully keeping the rest of the details to himself.

“So why aren’t you eating?” Steve nodded toward Danny’s dinner.

“I’m eating,” Danny protested.

Steve raised an eyebrow. “It looks like you swirled the… whatever this is around on the plate, but I can’t see where you might have actually eaten something.”

“You can’t see – might have actually – ” Danny sputtered before coughing a little. He looked at the girls at his feet. “Tell Uncle Steve that I’ve been eating.”

“Danno ate one spoonful,” Grace told.

“I ate more than one,” Danny said.

Grace shook her head. “One. I counted.”

“Maybe I ate more when you weren’t looking,” Danny countered.

“You didn’t, Danno, because you put down your spoon.” Grace looked at him gravely. “We practiced counting as we ate last night at Uncle Chin and Auntie Malia’s.”

“Damn Chin,” Danny muttered.

Steve grinned. “Foiled by a six-year-old.”

“But she’s a very smart six-year-old, wise beyond her years.”

“She is pretty special,” Steve agreed, watching Grace grin as she watched them, knowing they were talking about her. He loved that she just unabashedly soaked in the love sent her way.

“So,” Steve mused, his focus back on Danny, “how’re you planning on getting out of here when you won’t eat?”

Danny waved an arm at the food. “You don’t know what this is either. How’m I supposed to eat any of that?”

There was a knock on the door, and Kono stuck her head inside. “Can I come in?”

“Join the party,” Danny said, waving her inside.

“We’re having a picnic!” Grace told her.

“It looks like I came just in time.” Kono held bags in her hands. “I brought cookies for anyone who might want dessert.”

“I do!” Grace yelled.

“I do!” Jenna repeated.

“I do!” Shouted Jenna’s doll in Grace’s voice.

Kono shoved Danny’s plate aside, placed one bag there, and opened the other bag to pull out two huge cookies.

“Holy cow,” Danny muttered. “The sugar in those is going to keep them up all night.”

“I’ll make sure they run it out on the beach before bed,” Steve assured him.

“So they’re staying with you tonight?” Danny asked, and Steve happily noticed that Danny didn’t automatically start trying to talk him out of it.

“Yeah, Chin and I have a schedule worked out for the rest of the week,” Steve shrugged. “Just in case.”

“Hopefully I won’t be in here that long.”

“We’re just being prepared,” Steve assured him.

“Just like I knew that Danny probably wouldn’t be interested in the hospital food.” Kono opened the other bag, and Steve’s mouth watered at the aroma. “Chinese, from your favorite restaurant.”

“I didn’t know you had a favorite Chinese restaurant,” Steve said, annoyed that his stomach was reminding him now that the one thing he’d forgotten to do was eat lunch himself.

“It’s within walking distance of the shop, so it’s the only one in Hawaii I’ve tried,” Danny admitted, eagerly opening up a container of soup, “but it’s just as good as the Chinese restaurants in Jersey, maybe even better.”

Danny’s comments reminded Steve of how limited Danny’s life had been so far in Hawaii, the matter-of-fact way he talked about it revealing just how accustomed he’d become to his small world. Right then and there, Steve vowed to himself to make sure that Danny and the girls got to appreciate more than the area around Danny’s shop. He looked at Kono and saw the same resolution on her face. They’d have to conspire in the near future and come up with a plan.

Totally oblivious to their silent communication, Danny slurped at the soup directly from the container. “Kono, you’re a true goddess, no matter what they say about you.”

Laughing, Kono pulled out two other containers. “I also got you some spring rolls, and Steve, I brought you Moo Goo Gai Pan.”

“That’s my favorite,” Steve said, pleased that Kono’d thought of him.

Kono ducked her head bashfully. “That’s what you used to order every time when you used to live with Chin.”

“You remembered that, did you?” Danny teased.

“Shut up, or I’ll take away your soup,” Kono warned.

“Shutting up,” Danny said, his eyes twinkling over another slurp of soup.

“Kono, are you going to play on Uncle Steve’s beach with us?” Grace asked around her cookie.

“Monkey, wait until your mouth is empty before you talk,” Danny reminded her.

“I can’t,” Kono said, wiping a crumb from Jenna’s mouth. “I’m actually on my way to class.”

Doctor Malajandro knocked and entered the room. “Who opened a restaurant in here?”

“Picnic,” Jenna explained, grinning.

“Fantastic,” Malajandro said automatically, leaving Steve to believe that he probably had a whole passel of kids at home. He looked at Danny. “I have your test results.”

Kono looked at her watch. “The trip to the Chinese restaurant took less time than I’d planned, so I can stay a few more minutes. How about I take the girls into the bathroom so they can wash their faces and hands?” She looked closer at Grace. “And necks.” She looked at Jenna. “And arms.”

Danny chuckled, coughing a little and looking guiltily at Malajandro before saying, “Thanks, Kono.”

Malajandro waited until the door was closed before he opened his folder. “You’re making some improvement, but your levels aren’t where I need them to be to feel comfortable releasing you. I still need you on the intravenous antibiotics, and I want to continue to monitor your vitals.” He watched Danny slurp some more of his soup and smiled faintly. “Your appetite looks good, which will help with the anemia, and you’re no longer dehydrated, which will also help you get out of here faster.”

“So how much longer do you think I’ll have to stay?” Danny asked, tossing a grateful smile at Steve, who’d quietly begun to clean up the mess on Danny’s bed.

“At the very least, you’ll be here another one to two days. If you experience any setbacks, if any of the test results give me cause for concern, then you might have to stay up to six or seven more days.” Danny opened his mouth, and Malajandro reminded him, “But that’s unlikely given your age and overall health.” He glared at Danny. “Provided you take care of yourself once you’re released.”

“No offense, Doc, but I hope that if I see you ever again, it will be because you came into my shop for a pretzel.” Malajandro looked confused. “Boone Pretzels, over on – ”

Malajandro broke into a smile. “My son and I love your pineapple pretzels! My wife stops by there and gets them for us. And our two daughters love the peanut butter and jelly ones.” He shuddered a bit but continued smiling.

Danny looked startled for a moment, then smiled. “Tell her that the next time she comes in, the pretzels are on the house.”

“I couldn’t accept –”

“They’re not for you. They’re for her,” Danny interjected smoothly.

“Well, okay then,” Malajandro said happily. “A nurse will be by in a bit to check your vitals. Until then, call us if you need anything and take it easy on the talking.”

“Good luck with that,” Steve muttered as he returned the small trashcan to its customary spot, earning a glare from Danny.

“Will do,” Danny said loudly, turning away deliberately from Steve and focusing on the doctor, who chuckled as he left the room.

A few seconds later, Kono poked her head out of the bathroom. “Is the coast clear?”

“They can come back in,” Steve told her, and they helped the little girls back onto the bed.

“So what’s the diagnosis?” 

“My test results are looking good, but he’s not letting me out of here for at least one or two more days.”

“Catherine seems to have things running smoothly at the shop,” Kono said. She looked at her watch. “Oh! I gotta go.”

“Thanks for stopping by – and for the food,” Danny said.

Kono dimpled. “I was happy to do it.”

Danny avoided Steve’s eyes, an obvious indication that he heard Kono’s unspoken, I’m glad you finally accepted my help.

“Bye, ladies.” She kissed both girls on the top of the head and included Recording Rita, which made Jenna giggle. “Danny, take care of yourself. Steve, take care of Danny.” And she was gone.

Steve slid a glance at Danny, who’d developed a sudden fascination with the décor of the room. “You okay?”

“What? Yeah, I’m fine.” He cleared his voice. “Umm, Chin left a bag of the girls’ clothes in the closet. He was being pretty cryptic at the time, but now I see that he left it for you for tonight.”

“Terrific,” Steve said, grabbing the bag from the closet. “Ladies, you ready to go?”

“We’re going to your house, Uncle Steve?” Jenna asked.

“You sure are.”

“Are we going to go swimming?”

Steve felt Danny tense beside him. “Not today. You don’t have your bathing suits.”

Both girls groaned, but Danny looked pleased.

“What do you have against swimming?” Steve muttered.

“Besides the jelly fish and the sharks and that thing that stuck the guy in the heart – ”

“That was an aberration. Steve Irwin was stabbed in the heart by a defensive stingray. I’ve never seen them anywhere in the backyard, and I’ll be there to protect them. Would you feel better if I got Kono to go in with us, one adult per child?”

“Why do you feel the need to throw my children into the water?”

“We’re in Hawaii, Danny. People swim here.” Danny harrumphed, but Steve figured he could wear the man down soon enough.

“Well, let’s just keep Danno’s blood pressure down right now and skip the swimming, can we do that?”

“Okay,” the girls said, clearly disappointed.

After a few seconds, Danny sighed. “Maybe you can go swimming another time, but not today, okay?”

The girls suddenly grinned, completely happy once again.

Steve was suddenly worried about taking the two girls. He didn’t know anything about kids. What if he did or said something wrong?

“Hey, I understand if it’s too much for you,” Danny said, reaching out an arm. “They can stay here with me. We’ve slept together in beds much smaller, believe me.” He smiled.

Steve inhaled sharply and pulled back his shoulders. He’d run missions that had gone so completely wrong that they’d only made it out alive by sheer willpower. He could totally do this. Besides, he could see that Danny was starting to flag. “Girls, say goodbye to Danno so he can get some rest.”

“Are you sure?” Danny asked.

“I got this. You just take it easy,” Steve said, figuring he’d call Chin if he got desperate.

“You have the number to this room, right? Call me if you have any questions. If you’re worried how something might affect Jenna, you can try Grace. If she doesn’t know, call me.”

“Okay,” Steve agreed.

“They’re not allergic to anything, but no sugar after 7pm unless you want them up half the night,” Danny said, and Steve could tell that he was starting to really think about how he was letting his daughters leave with a man who knew nothing about children.

“It’ll be fine,” Steve said, strangely more comfortable with the idea now that Danny was worried. “Girls, say goodnight to your dad so he can rest and get better.”

The girls obediently kissed their dad on the cheek and let Steve help them off the bed.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Danny said as the girls waved and walked out of the door.

The sudden feeling that he’d left a man behind stunned Steve as he led the girls to the elevator.

Grace tugged at his hand. “It’s okay to miss him, Uncle Steve. We’ll draw him some pictures and give them to him tomorrow, okay?”

Steve smiled, knowing that he heard Chin and Malia in those words. “I think Danno would love some pictures!”

“ – love some pictures!” Recording Rita said in Steve’s voice as the elevator doors closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've portrayed hospital food here as stereotypical fare, but I wrote this before I was admitted for a planned surgery late last year. During my stay, I was offered a menu containing quite a few options, and everything I tried was quite tasty.


	16. Chapter 16

After being roused throughout the night during temperature and blood pressure checks, Danny woke the next morning before dawn, exhausted. Then he was bored. He hadn’t thought about how much he moved during the day; from the moment he woke up until the time he fell into bed, it was pretty much nonstop. If he did sit down, it was to help Bear with her workbooks or Monkey with her homework or to watch one of their videos with the girls before they went to bed on the weekends. He wasn’t used to reading and didn’t think his mind would manage to stay focused on a book for long.

This whole letting people help thing was stressful. Steve was right; Danny couldn’t continue on the way he was going, but he was so used to things falling apart. He’d managed to loosen up a little bit with the girls, although he supposed that that part wasn’t by choice exactly. And he knew that Chin and Malia had bought the girls clothes, even though they’d tried to talk their way around the subject. He hadn’t complained, though. He was just so damn grateful that these people had stepped in and helped even without his having to ask.

He even owed Catherine a thanks. Steve didn’t say much about her, but Chin and Kono had let him know that she was the one running the shop, with a little help and direction from Kono and a lot of help from Kamekona’s cousins, whoever they were.

The object of his thoughts knocked and walked through the door as if she knew it was her cue. Danny looked at her thoroughly for the first time and could see how she’d attract someone like Steve. They were both beautiful and fit with charming smiles. Danny bet she was really good at her job, whatever it was.

“Is this a good time?” She asked.

“Come on in,” Danny said, waving her inside.

“I know it’s early, but I wanted to catch you before I had to open up the shop.” She walked in, and Danny saw the shadows underneath her eyes.

“Are you okay?” He asked, concerned. He told himself it was because she was helping him at the shop.

“I don’t know how you’ve been doing it by yourself it all these years,” she admitted, brushing back her hair. “I’ve only been working at the shop for a few days, and I have at least two people helping me at all times. Plus, I don’t have two little girls to take care of while I’m doing it.”

“The trick is to have a routine,” Danny explained. “Once you get that down, you tweak it a bit until it’s perfect, and then you’re good to go.”

“What about sleeping or a social life?” She asked.

“A what and a what?” Danny teased.

She laughed and walked closer into the room.

“I’m sorry,” Danny said. “Please, sit.” He gestured in the far chair, not bothering to examine why he didn’t want her sitting in Steve’s chair. “I wanted to thank you for all of your help, even though you don’t know me.”

She shrugged. “Steve knows you, and you’re special to him.”

“So you’re helping Steve?” That, Danny could understand.

“I flew here to help Steve, but then when I saw how Victor has been treating you…” she frowned, shaking her head. “I hope you aren’t too upset with me, but I went through your computer to get information on your delivery contacts and schedules – you must have the oldest, most cantankerous computer I’ve ever encountered by the way – and I found some correspondences you’d been sending to the home office.”

Danny couldn’t find it in himself to be upset with her rooting around. She’d been singlehandedly running his shop. She had every right to search for information. “It’s okay. I tried to call you yesterday, because I figured you had questions.”

“Yeah, I got the message, but I was trying to tame your espresso machine. I think it mated with you cash register and created that damn computer.”

Danny laughed, then coughed.

“Are you okay?”

Danny nodded and motioned for her to continue.

“I brought some paperwork I had questions about, if you feel up to answering them.”

“Sure,” Danny said, sitting up a little higher, relieved to be doing something. “What’ve you got?”

Catherine left a little over an hour later, and Danny knew exactly why she was Steve’s best friend. She was smart, picking up on things quickly. She asked the right questions, and Danny could tell she was absorbing everything he said. She even made a couple of suggestions that might streamline a few things, saving Danny time and money, two things he always had in short supply. She was also extremely loyal, something that Danny barely recognized, since he had rarely seen it in his own life.

At one point, he’d given her a suggestion, noting bitterly, “that is if Victor Hesse hasn’t arrested me by then and put a lock on the door.”

“Don’t worry about Victor,” Catherine said blithely. “Steve and I are taking care of him.”

“You don’t know why – ”

“I’ll tell you what I know,” she said quietly, fiercely as she scooted closer in her chair. “I know that as one of our franchises, you deserve our support and our assistance. I know that you contacted Victor and his team frequently, only asking for the bare minimum of what we should have given you, and Victor seemed to go out of his way to make sure you were left dangling in the wind. I know that other stores that Victor regularly helped folded, yet you managed to thrive despite his negligence.”

Danny sighed, pinching his nose. “Why do you people keep using that word?” He held out his arms. “How is this thriving? I can’t afford to upgrade my crappy computer, my stubborn espresso machine, or my obnoxious cash register. I can only pay one person minimum wage part time, and I can’t even buy a used car. I don’t have cable or a DVD player, my girls live on a diet of pretzels, and the only phone I have is the store’s landline. What part of any of this says thrive to you?”

“The part where you’ve been in business for two years despite Victor’s inattention. The part where your little girls are happy and clean and sweet. You pay your bills, sometimes a little late,” she smiled, “but you get there. Your fellow shopkeepers respect you and speak highly of you.”

Danny stared at her. “My fellow shopkeepers?”

“You have no idea how many of them have stopped by to ask how you’re doing. I have a list I forgot to bring of people who wanted me to tell you that they’d help if you needed anything. In fact, a Mrs…. Pookie?”

“Pukahi,” Danny corrected, laughing, then coughing. “It’s okay,” he assured her. “Doc says that a little coughing is good. It breaks up the stuff in here.” He patted his stomach, close to where he thought the lungs might be located. Catherine still looked a bit dubious, so he added, “although I’d appreciate it if you could pour a little water into the cup there for me.” She looked relieved, and Danny thought that Steve’s idea that people liked to be needed might not have been as far off the mark as he’d initially thought.

“So anyway, she’s come by quite a few times to check on you.”

Danny frowned. “Are you sure? She hates me.”

Catherine shrugged. “Older Hawaiian lady? Thick glasses?”

Danny nodded. Yep, that was her.

“I don’t know about before, but right now, she’s very concerned about you and your daughters.

“So when I say thrive, I mean it. You’ve made the best out of a crappy situation, and you’ve managed to keep from going under while raising two terrific girls. You may not have material things to show them, but they know they’re loved, and that’s worth more than any car.”

Danny saw shadows in her eyes but didn’t feel he had to right to ask questions. Instead he just smiled slightly and said, “Thanks.”

And now, as he watched her leave, Danny found himself liking her when all he wanted to do was hate her. Damnit.

He blinked, and the next thing he knew, he felt one of his eyelids being pulled open. “Danno, you awake?”

“Don’t wake him, we promised Uncle Steve!” Grace whispered loudly to Jenna.

Who ignored her and used her other hand to start lifting the other eyelid. “Knock knock!” She sang.

“Boo!” Danny shouted, just loud enough to make Jenna jump back and start laughing.

Grace was still upset. “We promised Uncle Steve we’d be quiet.”

“It’s okay, Monkey,” Danny said, clearing his throat. “I was just resting my eyes waiting for you.”

“I didn’t realize that snoring and drooling were part of resting your eyes,” Steve said, walking into the room with a small bag.

“Shut up; I wasn’t drooling,” Danny said, wiping at his mouth and glaring at Steve as Steve started laughing. “I guess Catherine’s visit took more out of me than I thought.”

That shut Steve up instantly. “Catherine came here? Why?”

“We had plenty to talk about,” Danny said, enjoying the brief spasm of panic that crossed Steve’s face. “Plen-ty,” he fairly sang before deliberately turning his attention to his daughters, who seemed pretty comfortable with their spots at the end of his bed. “Did you two have fun at Uncle Steve’s last night?”

H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0

Steve continued to stare at Danny at least thirty seconds after Danny had turned his attention to his daughters. He hadn’t expected Catherine to come visit, at least not without Steve. Why did she come? What did they talk about? Was there a problem with the store? Even worse, did they talk about Steve?

And then he turned it over in his mind. Danny was obviously comfortable enough about the visit to be able to tease Steve about it, so it couldn’t have been too bad. And maybe, maybe his two favorite people might’ve found common ground, maybe even liked each other a little. The thought made him smile, and he focused on the animated conversation going on in front of him.

“… then he made this smoothie that was green!” Grace was telling her father. She was on the bed, on her knees hands clasped together in front of her.

“She loved the smoothie,” Steve added.

“Really? I had no idea,” Danny said, deadpan.

“It was sooo good, Danno! And Uncle Steve says it’s good for you too!”

“What about you, Bear?” Danny asked. “Did you like the smoothie?”

“Yucky green smoothie!” Jenna stuck out her tongue.

“She didn’t even try it!” Grace complained.

“Evidently, green is not her favorite color,” Steve explained.

“Yeah, I learned that with the broccoli. And the lettuce. And the asparagus.”

“How do you get her to eat her greens?” Steve asked.

“We’ll discuss that later,” Danny said, looking side-eyed at Steve.

Steve caught the cue and said, “but Jenna loved the fruit salad, except the kiwi.”

“Because kiwi’s green!” Grace said.

“But she adored the pineapple.”

“Big surprise there,” Danny said.

“We ate sp’getti,” Jenna said.

“Did you like the it?”

“It was yummy in my tummy!”

“We helped him put peppers in it! Pretty red and yellow peppers,” Grace said. “And he used tomatoes and stuff instead of a bottle!” She hadn’t believed him when he said that he was making it ‘from scratch’, and he watched her try to secretly find where he might’ve hidden the bottle from her. So he’d grabbed some chairs and made the girls his helpers. It’d been the most fun he’d ever had making dinner.

“Show off,” Danny muttered.

“Don’t worry. Uncle Steve promised to let you help him make it for you when you get better,” Grace said, placing a consoling hand on Danny’s leg.

“That was very nice of him,” Danny said, smiling at Steve.

Steve wasn’t sure if he had Catherine to thank, but he liked the way Danny was looking at him. He liked it a lot. “I’m a nice guy.”

“Hmm,” Danny said, and was that… was he… was he flirting with Steve?

Steve stepped a little closer to the bed, gauging Danny’s response. “Just ask your daughters.”

“He was fun! And his backyard is a beach!”

“We made a sandcastle!” Jenna said.

“With a moat!”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from a military man,” Danny said. “I’m sure it looked suitably forbidding.”

“Wait until you see it!”

“Monkey,” Danny said gently, “sandcastles don’t last forever. You’ll have to make another one once I get out of here, because I won’t be able to see this one.”

“Actually,” Steve said, tossing a bag in Danny’s lap, “you can. I took a picture of it.”

Danny pulled a box out of the bag. “You bought a cell phone?”

“I got you a cell phone.”

Danny started to get that look on his face, and Steve said, “I bought it on sale, and right now you’re piggy backed on my service. Once you’re out of here, we can switch it over and add it to your landline service. And,” he said quickly, not giving Danny a chance to speak, “it’s only an extra five dollars a month with your current plan.” He took the box out of Danny’s hands and opened it, pulling out the phone. “It’s simple, without a lot of bells and whistles, which keeps the costs down. You have limited texting, a small amount of memory, and only local and toll free numbers are free.”

Danny looked torn, like he wanted to protest, but Steve knew he’d been actively trying to let others help him and hoped that it would extend a little further.

“I’ve already charged it for you and taken the first picture.” He pulled up the picture and handed it over, knowing from Danny’s face that Steve had already won this battle.

“What a fantastic castle, guys,” Danny gushed.

Steve’d had to take the picture three times before he’d managed to get both girls looking at him and smiling beside their sand creation.

“Uncle Steve said we could make a taller one next time,” Grace said.

“I liked the moat,” Jenna said. “That was fun.”

“He wouldn’t let us go swimming,” Grace said, shoulders slumping dramatically.

“We put our toes in the water,” Jenna offered.

“But I wanted to go swimming!” Grace said, her voice rising.

Steve started to worry that maybe he’d handled the whole thing wrong. Maybe he shouldn’t have let them stand close enough so the water rose and tickled their toes. It had seemed harmless at the time, but now that he thought about it, maybe it seemed to Grace like he was teasing her. “Grace, I’m sorry – ”

“You didn’t let us go swimming! You were mean!”

“Grace Erica Williams,” Danny said, obviously warning her to stop talking. Well, it was obvious to Steve.

“No!” Grace shouted. “I wanted to go swimming!” Steve figured she might have stomped her foot if she hadn’t been sitting on the bed.

“Mon – ”

“But he wouldn’t –”

“Monkey. Uncle Steve let you stay at his house. He made you a smoothie. He let you and Jenna help him make spaghetti from scratch. He let you play in the sand in his backyard and helped your build sandcastles with moats. And he let you put your toes in the water. Did he let you sleep at his house?”

It was clear to Steve that Grace had figured out where her father was going way before he asked her the question. She looked heartbroken as she nodded.

“Did you get to sleep in a bed?”

Another nod.

Watching this was breaking Steve’s heart. “Dann – ”

“No.” Danny said, calmly but firmly. His fingers wrapped around Steve’s wrist, holding him there; his attention never wavered from his daughter. “Did Uncle Steve give you breakfast when you woke up and drive you here to see me afterward?”

Her lip was trembling.

“So how do you think Uncle Steve feels when you sit here and yell about how he didn’t let you go swimming, something, I might add, I said you couldn’t do anyway?”

Large tears fell from Grace’s eyes, and she said, “I’m sorry, Uncle Steve.” She held out her arms, and Steve almost begged Danny to let him go. Less than a second later, Danny’s hand was gone, and Steve practically leapt to pull Grace into his arms.

“It’s okay,” he soothed, turning to glare at Danny, only to find Danny’s arms wrapped around a crying Jenna.

Steve didn’t know what he expected to see in Danny’s eyes, but the sadness and resolution in them took him aback.

Danny let them cry for about a minute before asking, “Steve, can you go into the bathroom and wet a couple of washcloths for me?” He raised his arm for Grace, but Steve wasn’t quite ready to let her go. Danny quirked an eyebrow, as if he knew was Steve was thinking, but he kept his arm raised until Steve reluctantly pulled her arms from around his neck and transferred her to Danny.

Steve wasn’t sure if he ever moved as quickly as he did just then, grabbing the washcloths and wetting them before heading back into the room.

Danny was whispering to Grace, his eyes on the bathroom door. Every so often, she’d nod at what he was saying and snuggle closer to him. Jenna lay on the other side, her head on Danny’s chest, every so often taking a shuddering breath. He gave Steve a reassuring smile, reaching out for one washcloth and washing Grace’s face, then using the other for Jenna’s.

Less than two minutes later, the two were happily coloring on the floor beside the bed.

Steve sat in his chair, staring at the girls.

“Thanks for the phone,” Danny said, staring at the device still in his hands. “I know I should have one, you know, in case of emergencies, and I appreciate your getting me such a good deal.”

Steve hummed a response but kept staring at the girls.

“You okay?” Danny asked quietly.

“That was…intense,” Steve murmured back.

“Eh,” Danny said, tilting his hand from side to side. “On a scale of one to ten, that was probably about a four.”

That caught Steve’s attention. “A four?”

“Sure. No one flopped on the floor, kicking and screaming. Grace didn’t say she wanted her mom or tell me she hated me. Jenna didn’t pull out her hair.”

“Why couldn’t you have just let it go?” Steve hoped it didn’t sound as pathetic to Danny as it did to his own ears.

“This is one of those difficult parts of being a parent.” Danny said, watching the girls switch crayons. “She’s a good girl with a good heart, but it’s her job as a kid to push her boundaries from time to time. It’s my job, as her dad, to tell her when she’s gone too far. It’s not fun, and I don’t feel good doing it, but my job isn’t to make sure she likes me. It’s to make sure that she grows from a good, sweet girl to a good, strong, sweet woman.”

“But what if you make a mistake?”

“Of course I worry about that. I stay up nights worrying sometimes. Was I too hard? Was I not hard enough? I’m kind of flying blind here, because the closest I’ve ever gotten to a good parent is from watching “Little House on the Prairie” reruns. So what I try to do is come from a place of love. I focus on the good in them, remind them of who they are, and make sure they remember that I love them.” He shrugged. “The problem with being a parent is that you really don’t know if you’ve raised your children right until it’s too late to fix whatever it is that you did.”

“So that’s what you were telling her when you were whispering to her?”

“Yeah,” Danny sighed.

“But – ”

“Look at them,” Danny said. “They’re happily coloring. For them, the situation’s resolved. We, the adults, are the ones still talking about it. Kids are way more resilient than we give them credit for being. That’s the only way someone like me would end up with two pretty awesome daughters.”

Steve remembered his other question. “Why was Jenna crying?”

“She’s so sensitive,” Danny sighed. “She hates it when people argue, when Grace cries, when I’m upset. And the only way she knows how to deal with it is to cry. So she always needs extra love.”

“That’s what happened when Hesse came to the shop.” Suddenly it all made sense. Steve had been worried that Victor had somehow physically hurt Jenna, but she’d reacted to her father yelling and kicking him out of the shop.

“Yeah. I started yelling, and she got upset.” Danny rubbed a hand over his face and then pressed it against his chest as if his heart hurt. “I hate making her cry. I hate making either of them cry.”

“Hey,” Steve said, feeling an overwhelming urge to do whatever he had to do to erase the look on Danny’s face. He settled with gently nudging the other man. “It’s like you said, they’re happily coloring right now. If they can let it go, you should be able to let it go too.”

“Yeah, well that’s another thing about being a parent. When your kid cries, you feel a thousand times worse than they do, even if – no, especially if – you were the one who made them cry in the first place.”

“What’s the up side of all of this again?” Right at that moment, all Steve could envision was a future filled with doubt, crying jags, and temper tantrums. Why would anyone volunteer for something like that?

“Hey, girls,” Danny called. They looked up at him, and he said, “Steve’s a little sad.”

They immediately dropped their crayons and came over to him, pulling him down with their hands until he was kneeling in front of him. They silently wrapped their arms around his neck and hugged him for a few seconds before Jenna gave him a kiss on the cheek, and they silently returned to their coloring.

“That’s why,” Danny whispered, and Steve began to understand.


	17. Chapter 17

“So Danny told me that you came to visit him today,” Steve said later that night as he collapsed on his sofa.

“Hmm?” Catherine sat at the table, engrossed in paperwork.

“I said that I heard you and Danny hung out today.”

Catherine looked up at him. “What’s that? Is that your jealous tone?”

“It’s my tired tone,” Steve said, closing his eyes. “Those girls are exhausting.”

“What do you want them to do? Sit like good little girls so they don’t mess up their pretty dresses?”

“Hell no,” Steve said, shuddering at the thought. “I don’t mind running after them, but all of the emotions are giving me whiplash! They’re happy; they’re sad. They want to give you hugs for giving them the fork you forgot at dinner but then get upset because they don’t like the flowers on the napkins.”

“Just wait,” Catherine told him. “They’re not even teenagers yet.”

Steve groaned.

“So,” Catherine mused, her focus now on him. “These girls a deal breaker?”

“Danny looked at me tonight when we left like I was going to drop them off at Chin’s and run back to DC.”

“Are you?”

“There’s no way I’m going to leave Danny to handle all of this alone.”

“Ouch.”

“No offense,” Steve added belatedly.

Catherine smiled at him, showing that she hadn’t taken it personally. “So once this is all over, you’re just going to be able to leave here without looking back.”

“I’m not saying that I’m going to run off screaming into the night; I just…” He stopped, trying to choose the right words. “I just never really thought about having kids, how that changes your life.”

Catherine looked thoughtful. “I guess being a parent means that pretty much every decision you make is filtered through how it will affect your child.” She put down the paper and rested her chin on her hand. “Who knows what Danny would be doing right now if he hadn’t had Jenna and Grace.”

“He’d probably still be a cop in Jersey,” Steve mused. “That’s what he was doing when his wife got pregnant. He had to quit to find a job with better hours when she couldn’t handle having a baby with Down syndrome and left them. He’d probably be a detective by now.”

“Instead, he’s in a hospital in Hawaii, worried about taking care of his daughters and possibly losing his only source of livelihood, which also happens to be where he lives.” She paused for a moment. “I bet if you ask him, he’ll tell you that he’d do it all over again for those little girls.”

Steve smiled, remembering how they looked up from the bed they were sharing in his sister’s old bedroom and told him sweetly how much they loved him.

“See? They have you wrapped around their finger too,” Catherine teased.

Steve rolled his eyes, then rubbed them. “What’re you working on?”

“Danny and I went over a few things this morning, and I’ve come up with a few ways to streamline his process.”

Steve snorted. “I bet that went over well.”

“Actually, he seemed to like most of them.” It was her turn to rub her eyes. “I really don’t know how he’s managed to run that shop with one other person and take care of Jenna and Grace. You know what he told me when I asked him about it? He said that it was all about routine.”

Steve nodded. It made sense. It was like being in the military. There was a comfort in routine, and it also ensured that nothing fell between the cracks. He could imagine that it would be easy to forget something if he didn’t follow the same routine every day.

And he’d seen it, watched Danny go through the same process every day. “He did change his routine if one of the girls needed him, though.”

“See? Every decision filtered through the wellbeing of those little girls.”

Steve nodded, then asked casually. “So what else did you two talk about?”

“His antiquated machines in the office, for one thing. Seriously, I’m thinking about digging into my own piggy bank and at the very least buying him a computer that can go online.” She looked thoughtful. “Of course, then he’d have to get the internet… No, maybe I’ll go for a new cash register, although… I haven’t had to work so hard for an espresso shot in years.” She nodded. “Yeah, a new espresso machine. His head’ll explode when he realizes that he only has to press a button for an espresso shot and can chuck the timer. And think of how much he’ll save in coffee beans.”

Steve had been ready to tease her, but her last words distracted him. “Danny does have to throw out a lot of shots.” He laughed. “You should hear the things he mutters under his breath when he works on that thing.”

They traded stories about the shop, then discussed their plans to save Danny until Steve couldn’t keep his eyes open. “I don’t know about you, but I’m wiped.”

Catherine yawned. “Me too, and I have to be up early to open. Remember when we’d have late dinners and go to bed after midnight?”

Steve looked at his watch and groaned. “It’s only ten o’clock.” Catherine stood and stretched, and while he watched her, it was with an unusual detachment.

Catherine caught him looking and laughed softly. “I thought it was like that.”

“Like what?”

“I was wondering why we hadn’t done more than hugged since I got here. After watching you talk about Danny, I had a feeling. After watching Danny not talk about you, I was fairly sure. But now? You two have it bad.”

“We haven’t done anything; we’re just friends.”

“Then you need to stop dragging your feet and tell him,” Catherine said. “What’re you waiting for?”

“I was going to tell him the truth and maybe ask him out before Hesse came and blew the whole thing right from under me.”

“Then he refused to talk to you – ”

“ – and now he’s in the hospital,” Steve finished.

“Why did it take you so long in the first place?”

Steve leveled a look at her. “You see how busy he is. It’s not like we’ve been able to grab much time alone.”

She sighed, gathering up her papers. “Yeah, I get that. Let’s get this mess with Victor cleaned up, and then maybe you two can go riding off into the great pink sunset together.”

“Not funny at all,” Steve muttered, following her up the stairs.

 

Steve walked into Danny’s hospital room the next morning and caught Danny trying to convince Malajandro that he was ready to be discharged. “…said my test results looked good, right? And I can do the chest therapy at home.”

“It’s only been four days,” Malajandro said. I’m not sure I feel comfortable with you returning home so soon.”

“He’ll be staying with me,” Steve said, “and I can help make sure he’s following whatever rules you lay out.”

Danny leveled a glance at him but said nothing as Malajandro considered it.

“I’ll agree, with these conditions: First, you,” he pointed to Danny, “will continue using the incentive spirometer as well as doing your rhythmic breathing and coughing every four hours. We’ll give you a spirometer before you leave. You’ll record the results and bring that information back with you.”

Danny nodded immediately.

“Second, you don’t return to work until I give the go ahead. We’ll revisit the issue when you come back for your checkup.”

Danny looked a little torn, but nodded.

“That means no visiting and no ‘just hanging out’.”

“I live upstairs,” Danny explained.

“But you’ll be staying with Steve,” Malajandro said, turning to Steve, who nodded.

Steve? Danny mouthed from behind Malajandro, and Steve had to work to keep himself from smiling.

“Have someone pack your clothes so you’re not tempted to do anything in your shop,” Malajandro said, showing that he’d learned a lot about Danny’s personality during Danny’s short stay.

“And as a father, I know you can’t not be with your kids, but no rough housing. Let Steve play horsey or whatever with them while you watch from the comfort of a couch.”

Steve had to bite his cheek at Danny’s face when Malajandro mentioned playing horsey, but after he got hold of himself, he said, “I’ll be the muscle. No problem.”

Malajandro stared at Danny for another few seconds before Danny said, “I’ll accept all of the conditions, Doc. Seriously. The next time you see me, you’ll want to do a paper about the miraculous restorative powers that can occur outside of the hospital environment.”

Malajandro looked amused. “You mind if I steal that for my title?”

“It’s all yours,” Danny said with a wave of his arm.

“Okay. Let’s check your vitals one more time, and if they look good, then I’ll let you go home later today.”

“Fantastic!” Danny clapped his hands and rubbed them together as Malajandro gave him one last suspicious look before taking his leave.

“Okay, what’s with the Steve thing?” Danny asked as soon as the door closed behind the doctor.

“What, you mean with Malajandro?” Steve asked innocently.

“Yeah. I’m still Mr. Williams, but he’s all ‘Steve this’ and ‘if it’s okay with Steve’. Has he asked you be the godfather to his children yet?”

Steve laughed. “I told him to call me that when we were conferring about you.”

Danny glared at Steve. “What do you mean, conferring?”

“I wanted to make sure I knew exactly what expect when you were released, how best to take care of you. I talked to Malajandro and a woman named Stephanie.”

“Stephanie, my breathologist Stephanie?”

Steve frowned. “Is that even a real word?”

Danny shrugged. “It’s what I call her. She thinks it’s cute.”

Steve thought she probably thought Danny was cute; he’d watched the way she softened when he mentioned Danny’s name. He snorted.

“What was that? And what’s with the face?”

“What was what?”

“The snort and the look.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Danno.”

“There you go again. You keep slipping in my daughter’s nickname; don’t think I haven’t noticed you throwing it out there.”

Amused, Steve pressed his hand against Danny’s forehead. “Maybe you’re getting another fever.”

“I’m not getting another fever. What I’m getting is a pain in the ass.”

Steve gave him a look.

Danny rubbed his face with his hand. “Really? How old are you, twelve?”

Steve pretended shock. “I wasn’t that worldly at twelve, thank you very much.”

“Right.” Danny suddenly tensed up, tossing Steve a sickly smile. “You were busy fighting your way through sharks and jellyfish on a long piece of Styrofoam.”

“If that’s what you think of surfing, then no wonder you don’t want me and Kono to teach the girls,” Steve said, making a mental note about Danny’s reaction but deciding it was better to let it go for now.

“Speaking of the girls…” Danny asked.

“Chin took Grace to school on his motorcycle, and Malia got Jenna into the in-house classroom again today.”

“She’s alone down there?” Danny swung his legs off of the bed and reached for the needle in his arm.

“Woah, what are you doing?”

“I need to go check on her, make sure she’s okay.”

“Wait.” Steve stuck out his arm keeping Danny on the bed. “She’ll be okay.”

“You don’t understand. She doesn’t do well in new surroundings.”

“She was just there the other day, and she did fine.”

“Because she was with Grace! Right now she’s in a new environment without anyone familiar!”

“Stay here.” Danny opened his mouth, but Steve added. “I’ll go check on her. If she’s not doing well, then I’ll grab her and bring her back up with me.”

“I can – ”

“Danny, you’re close to getting discharged. You think Doctor Malajandro will let you go if you get caught sneaking out of your room? Just let me go check on her, okay?”

Danny let out a frustrated breath but swung his legs back on the bed. “Fine.”

“You’ll stay there?”

“I’ll stay here. For ten minutes. If you’re not back by then, I’m coming after my baby.”

“Give me at least fifteen. The elevators alone take, like, five minutes to arrive.”

“Fifteen,” Danny said, looking at the clock on his phone.

Steve shot out of the room and headed for the elevators, hoping that he was right about Jenna.

Danny was pacing by the time Steve got back, a hiccupping Jenna in his arms.

“Danno!” She leaned sideways, and Steve had to move quickly to transfer her into her father’s arms.

“Shh, it’s okay, Bear.” Danny whispered to her as he sat back down on the bed, ignoring the pole holding his antibiotics as it began to wobble.

Happy for something to do, Steve grabbed the pole and pushed it closer to the bed. He’d walked up to the window of the daycare just to peek inside and found Jenna sobbing inconsolably as one of the caregivers hugged and rocked her. His heart broke into pieces, and he jerked open the door, saying her name hoarsely.

She’d run into his arms, and he’d suddenly felt like her great protector. He’d told them he was taking her, and they’d simply handed him her backpack and patted her on the back as they left.

“Danny, I am so, so sorry,” Steve whispered, knowing that he deserved whatever punishment Danny wanted to dish out to him.

To his surprise, Danny gave him a small smile and shook his head. “It’ll be fine. Just give us a few minutes.”

Nodding and feeling unreasonably disappointed, Steve stood and headed for the door.

“Where’re you going?” Danny asked.

“You said you needed – ”

“I meant go sit in the chair, you goof. Actually,” he scooted over on the bed and let go of Jenna long enough to pat the bed beside him.

“Really?”

Danny rolled his eyes. “Just get over here.”

Steve sat gingerly on the bed, unsure of what to do. Danny huffed, taking one of Steve’s hands and putting it on Jenna’s back. Hoping he was doing the right thing, Steve started to rub his hand in small circles. Eventually, Danny leaned against Steve, and Steve thought he could just stay right there for the rest of the day.

Finally, Danny said, “Steve? Can you do me a favor?”

Steve blinked, realizing that he’d fallen into a relaxed stupor. He quietly cleared his voice. “What can I do?”

“Jenna’s a big girl now, and I think my arms went to sleep a couple of minutes before she did. Can you take her, and we’ll lay her down on the bed?”

They managed to move her around slowly enough so all she did was snuffle a little as she grabbed Danny’s pillow, breathed deep, and fell back asleep.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Danny said, holding on to his pole as he walked over to a large arm chair by the window and sat down, “but your friend Malajandro said that I needed to walk around a bit and sit up in the chair.”

Steve picked up his own chair and sat it across from Danny, sitting in it but leaning forward so he could be close enough to whisper. “I’m really sorry – ”

“You didn’t know. I bet she was all smiles and waves when you dropped her off, right?”

“She was,” Steve agreed.

“Sometimes it takes her a while to realize that she’s scared, and there was no way for you to know about that.”

“Is that why she doesn’t go to a special school? There must be at least one school she can attend on the island.”

Danny looked guilty. “There are a couple, but none of them can pick her up and drop her off. Most require tuition that I don’t have, and the process of acclimating her to the school could take months of slow immersion where I would need to be at there with her. Even after that, I’d need to be able to run there at any given time when she’s having a bad day or just needs a hug.” He shrugged sadly. “I just haven’t been able to make all of those things come together. In the meantime, I’ve bought some books and helped her learn to read. She knows some math and can write, even though her handwriting is atrocious.”

“I’ve seen your writing. She’s probably trying to emulate you.”

Shut up,” Danny said, smacking at Steve’s leg as he grinned. “Seriously, though, thank you for looking after them. I know it can be a little overwhelming, and you didn’t run.”

“Like you thought I was going to do?”

“Eh,” Danny wiggled his hand. “I thought there was a chance, and I wouldn’t have blamed you.”

Steve hated the reminder that Danny was used to people leaving him. “They’re good girls.”

“Yes. Yes they are. But they’re still little girls.”

“I made sure Catherine handled bath time,” Steve admitted.

Danny laughed quietly. “That’s been a challenge, but thankfully, nowadays they’re both pretty good at cleaning themselves.”

Danny looked down, and Steve could tell that he had something on his mind. “What’s up?”

“I know that you told Doctor Malajandro that I could stay with you, but I’m sure you’re more than ready to reclaim your house. You have Catherine there, the girls’ve been staying with you for days, and now I’m moving in? Your place is becoming a house for wayward strays.”

“No. Look. I have a sofa bed that’s actually more comfortable than it seems. You’ll take my bed –”

“I am not kicking you out of your own be – ”

“You’re sick, and like I said, the sofa bed is comfortable, so – ”

“Then I’ll stay on the sofa bed, being that it’s so comforta – ”

“Why do you have to be so difficult?”

“I’m being difficult? I’m making sure that despite losing control over the rest of your own house, you’ll at least have control of your own bedroom.”

“It’s not really my bedroom,” Steve said. “It’s the master bedroom.”

“Okay,” Danny said. “Sounds like it’s your bedroom to me.”

“It was my parents’ bedroom,” Steve explained. “Catherine’s staying in my old room, and the girls are bunking in Mary’s old room.”

“Mary’s your sister, right?”

Steve nodded.

“Why is it that you grind your teeth whenever you mention her?”

“I’m not grinding my teeth,” Steve said, which would have carried more weight if he’d opened his mouth when he said it, he thought belatedly.

“Right,” Danny said, laughing silently. “So why does your younger sister inspire so much anger?”

“How much time do you have?” Steve said.

Danny opened his arms wide. “I have nowhere to be until the nurse gets here for my vitals, and even then, I have to wait for Malajandro to dissect the results before he’ll sign my release.” He moved his arms in a ‘go ahead, give it to me’ wave.

“Mary is…” Steve sighed and leaned back, “Mary. She had a really tough time after mom died, and she didn’t handle it well when dad moved them to the mainland. She kept getting into trouble, so dad decided that she’d do better with our aunt and uncle in Nebraska.”

“Wow, from Hawaii to Washington, DC to Nebraska. I bet that went over well,” Danny mused.

“I think she singlehandedly managed to double the crime rate in their small town. And now we’ve adopted this routine where she gets into trouble, and I bail her out.”

“Sounds like she still has a lot of issues,” Danny mused.

“She seems to be trying to work on them by getting jailed in every country she visits,” Steve sighed.

“I bet that makes things interesting during the holidays,” Danny mused.

“Then I guess it’s a good thing we don’t really do the holiday thing.”

Danny looked shocked. “Seriously?”

Steve shrugged. “Ever since mom died, the McGarretts haven’t really been big on holidays.”

Steve hadn’t thought Danny could look even more surprised, but there it was. “How do you not celebrate with your family?”

“The last time we tried was for Thanksgiving a couple of years ago, and it was a disaster. Mary showed up high and ended up having a tantrum before she bailed, and dad escaped to his study to drink for the rest of the night.” Danny looked really disturbed. “It’s okay,” Steve said, feeling the need to make him feel better. “Holidays just aren’t our thing.”

Danny still looked upset, and Steve suddenly realized that Danny’d never had what Steve and his family took for granted. He suddenly felt guilty for not appreciating his family.

He definitely didn’t want to describe his family’s Christmases.

The nurse arrived to take Danny’s vitals, and Steve rose to give them privacy and so he could respond to some e-mails in the waiting room.

“You don’t have to stay,” Danny said. “I can just call you when Malajandro starts the paperwork.” He waved around the cell phone.

Steve wanted to laugh. “Have you put that thing down since I gave it to you?”

Danny looked insulted. “Why are you still here asking stupid questions?”

“You didn’t answer my question,” Steve pointed out, ducking out of the room in order to have the last word.


	18. Chapter 18

Steve decided to take Danny up on his suggestion and left the hospital for a few hours, first stopping by the shop for some clothes for Danny and to check in on Catherine.

“Hey, you,” Catherine called out with a smile as she wiped down a table.

“How’s it going?” Steve noted the two teenagers ably handling the small line at the counter.

“Good. The kitchen is a bit of a disaster, but we’re doing okay.”

“It seems a lot busier than a couple of weeks ago,” Steve noted.

Catherine nodded. “I think it’s result of that street fair you went to, Kamekona’s contacts, and the stories everyone’s coming up with around here.”

“What stories?”

“Depending on who you talk to, Danny was robbed, he was shot due to gambling debts, or he was in the witness protection program and had a shootout with his former mob bosses.”

“Wow,” Steve said, laughing.

The bell rang on the door, and Steve recognized one of the homeless men Danny fed from the corner. “Hey, how can I help you?”

The man held his worn hat in his hands and nervously looked around the room. “I heard that Danny got hurt?”

“He’s in the hospital, but he’s going to be okay,” Steve said.

The man blinked. “I thought he got shot.”

Steve huffed a laugh. “That was just a rumor.”

“Well,” the man ran a hand over his stubble, “I guess I’ll be off then.”

“Wait. Why don’t you take a couple of pretzels?”

“That’s not – ”

“That’d be perfect. Danny asked me to drop off some snacks to you and your friend today anyway,” Catherine said. “I’ll be right back.”

Steve got the feeling that the man wasn’t just there for the free food. “Is everything okay, Mister-?”

“I go by Beck. Just Beck.”

“I’m Steve,” Steve offered. “Why don’t you tell me what’s on your mind?”

Beck looked pensive and then sighed, as if bracing himself. “About a month after the store opened, a man came up to me and offered me fifty dollars to come in here, take some pictures, and order a pretzel and ask for a receipt. It didn’t seem like a big deal or anything, so I did it. After that, Danny would come down or send the young lady with stuff for us to eat, and I felt a little guilty. A few months later, that same man asked me to do it again, but I told him no way. So one day Bill and I see him come in here and leave a while later with a pretzel, and I wondered if he did it himself since I said no. I was gonna say something, but nothing happened, so I just forgot about it. But I can’t stop thinking about it. Maybe it has nothing to do with what’s going on now. After all, it was a long time ago.”

“Hold on.” Steve pulled out his phone and found a picture of Victor Hesse and turned his phone so Beck could see it. “Is this the guy?”

“No,” Beck shook his head. “He was younger, looked Japanese maybe, but he spoke with this weird American accent, took his time with each word. He was a little strange, like he wasn’t comfortable in his own body.”

“That’s a lot of detail for so long ago,” Steve said.

Beck shrugged. “Ain’t everyday someone gives you money to take some pictures.”

Catherine returned with a disposable drink carrier filled with two cups and a bag. “Something for you and your friend,” she said with a smile.

“Thank you,” Beck said. “Tell Danny we hope he gets better soon.”

“We will,” Steve said as he watched the man leave.

“What’s up?” Catherine asked.

Steve relayed the story Beck had told him.

“You think it was Victor?”

Steve shook his head. “I showed him a picture. He says that the guy looked to be of Japanese descent, but he spoke with a strange American accent. Victor could’ve hired someone totally at random, and even if we found the guy, we probably couldn’t connect him back to Victor.”

Catherine thought a moment. “As far as I know, Victor doesn’t have any family or friends from here, and who’s to say that a stranger wouldn’t come back and try to extort him later?”

“That’s true, but it’s not like we have anyone in the company matching that description.”

“We don’t now, but there used to be a guy in the mailroom… I can’t remember his name.” She pulled out her phone. “Let me make a few calls.”

Steve looked at his phone. “I have just enough time to get home for a teleconference. Keep me posted?”

“Absolutely,” Catherine promised, her phone already to her ear.

Steve raced home, arriving with enough time to nuke the pineapple pretzel he’d bought and eat it before his meeting. Afterward, he ran phone calls with Charlie until it was time to pick Grace up from school. He was a little worried that Danny hadn’t called about being released yet, but he decided to worry about that once he and Grace got to the hospital.

“Hey, Uncle Steve,” Grace chirped, getting into the car with her huge backpack.

“Hey, how was your day?”

“It was awesome! Everyone saw me on Uncle Chin’s motorcycle this morning!”

“So you were pretty popular?”

“I was! So…”

Steve looked at her in the rearview mirror. “So…”

“I was wondering if you had a motorcycle?” She grinned at him hopefully.

“No, honey, I don’t have a motorcycle,” Steve said, amused.

“Oh, that’s okay,” she said, clearly disappointed.

The rest of the ride to the hospital was spent with Grace detailing the rest of her day, complete with a strange piece of artwork involving lots of glue, some feathers, and beads.

Grace showed her work of art to her father and sister as soon as they walked into the room, and she was awarded with Danny and Jenna’s claims that it was a masterpiece.

Danny picked up a pen and some papers from the bedside table and frowned, reading the documents and absently sucking on the pen.

“What’re those?” Steve asked.

“My release papers,” Danny muttered.

“I thought you were going to call me,” Steve complained.

“I just got them a couple of minutes ago, and I figured you and Grace would be by soon enough. Besides, they’re still conditional on these last tests results looking good to the doc.” Danny looked up. “Did you have any problems picking Grace up from school?”

“It was all good,” Steve said, “although it turns out that Chin is cooler than I am, because he has a motorcycle. I thought the beach in the backyard thing gave me points,” Steve complained.

“You can’t take a beach to school,” Danny explained.

“Good point.” Steve wondered if it would bump him up on top again if Grace had a party at his house and invited her school friends.

“No,” Danny said. “It’s bad enough that the entire Williams clan is invading your house. We’re not inviting Grace’s class to your house just so you can one-up Chin.”

“I wasn’t thinking that,” Steve lied.

Danny snorted. “Sure you weren’t.” He looked at the giggling girls on the bed. “Monkey, do you have homework?”

Grace frowned and nodded.

“Why don’t you sit over here and work on it so it’ll all be done by the time I get out of here.”

“We’re leaving?” Grace asked excitedly. “We get to go home?”

“Well, the doctor won’t let us go back to the shop yet, but Steve said we could stay with him for a couple of days. How does that sound?”

“Do we get to go swimming?” Grace asked.

“It depends on your behavior,” Danny countered.

Grace slid from the bed, grabbed her backpack, and was pulling out her homework in an instant.

Danny shook his head, smiling fondly, as he returned to the paperwork.

“Everything okay?” Steve asked with a nod toward the papers.

“Yeah,” Danny sighed. “I just make a point to read everything before I sign it, and this stuff is pretty dense.”

“It’s just standard stuff,” Steve said, thinking back to the few times he’d been in the hospital.

“That’s what they say until you find yourself stuck in a group home,” Danny muttered absently.

Steve was glad Danny’s focus was still on the paperwork, because he probably had a look on his face that Danny wouldn’t appreciate.

Steve assumed that as an orphan, Danny’d had tough times; after all, even he, with a father and a sister, still had had to deal with his mother’s death, so who didn’t have it rough sometimes? But every so often, Danny would let something slip, something that hinted at a past way darker than he normally let on, which made Steve unsure about how to react. He hated that he couldn’t go back and fix it for Danny, but when he thought about it, he probably wouldn’t even if he could. All of those difficult times helped Danny become the man he was now, and Steve really, really liked that man.

Danny finally signed with a flourish and gathered all of the papers. “There.”

Steve took them. “Let me run these down to the nurse’s station while you get dressed.”

“Oh,” Danny dropped his head dramatically, and Steve saw where Grace had gotten that look. “I forgot about clothes.”

“Good thing I didn’t.” Steve picked up the bag he’d dropped by the door earlier and placed it on the bed beside Jenna. “I stopped by the shop and grabbed a few things for you.” He didn’t mention how uncomfortable it’d made him and how quickly he’d gotten out of there. “I hope that’s okay. I mean, I know it’s not your girl, Dora, but – ”

Danny’s surprised smile and eye roll warmed him, but it also reminded him that Danny wasn’t used to someone doing things for him. It was probably one of the reasons why Steve enjoyed doing them so much. “I’ll just…” he escaped before he gave in to temptation to draw close to Danny and grab a taste of that smile.

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Danny sat on the hospital bed in his sweats and t-shirt, reading one of Grace’s library books to his daughters while he waited for Steve to return. He was of mixed emotions about moving to Steve’s for a few days. On one hand, he liked the feel of Steve’s house. Even though Steve had said that it was now used as a rental property, it still felt like a home, and Danny considered himself a semi-expert on homes. He’d been through quite a few houses, although he’d never stayed for long, and he knew the difference between a house and home. Houses were places where you couldn’t run around or lie on the floor drawing a picture. Houses didn’t have artwork held onto refrigerators by alphabet magnets and knife scratches on the countertops. The really good homes had tick marks on at least one of the doorways to detail the growth of a child.

Steve’s home didn’t have most of Danny’s list, but the most important difference was that homes had a history that Danny could sense when he walked through the door, and Steve’s home had that in spades.

But on the other hand, he’d taken advantage of Steve’s surprising generosity way too much. After he had witnessed one of Grace’s infrequent temper tantrums, Steve wouldn’t have surprised Danny if he’d packed up his stuff and run away as fast as he could. But Steve had kept the girls, even making sure Grace got to school and trying to take Jenna some place safe. Sure, he’d made a mistake on that second part, but he hadn’t been working with complete information. It meant more that when he came back with a sobbing Jenna, she was clinging to Steve like he was her lifeline.

And now Steve had opened up his home to Danny and the girls. He already had Catherine staying there, and Danny wondered if she’d stayed in Steve’s sister’s room because of the girls and had previously been sharing Steve’s. He’d long passed the point where he could pretend to himself that seeing Catherine and Steve cling together wouldn’t feel like a sharp stick in the gut.

But he didn’t have any other choice. He couldn’t go back to the shop, and he knew from Grace and Jenna’s description that, even if he could get up the guts to ask Chin and Malia, they just didn’t have the room. Kono still lived with her mom to save money – the only way she could’ve been able to work with the small amount Danny could afford to pay her. Danny didn’t have the money for a hotel, and even if he could afford the seedier ones that charged weekly rates, he wouldn’t subject his kids to that kind of neighborhood if he had any other choice.

So Steve’s it was. Danny would just have to suck up watching Steve and Catherine’s PDA for a few days. He’d sacrificed worse for his kids. He couldn’t quite remember when, but he was sure he had at some point.

Doctor Malajandro entered the room, his face buried in a sheath of papers. “Congratulations, Mr. Williams, it looks like your vitals are good enough for me to release you.”

“Hooray!” The shouts caused the doctor to shift his focus and smile at the little girls holding hands and dancing in a circle in the middle of the room.

“Remember our agreement,” he said to Danny.

“No visiting the shop, no happy dancing with the kids, and I’ve already scheduled my follow up appointment.”

“Thursday at 2pm,” Malajandro confirmed, and was that approval in his voice? Of course he wasn’t as beloved as Steve, but maybe Danny was edging up the list a bit.

Steve opened the door, his eyes traveling from the dancing girls to Malajandro to Danny, hope in his eyes. “Yes?”

“I’m outta here,” Danny said, almost laughing at the happiness in Steve’s face.

“All right!” Steve grabbed the girls’ hands and danced with them in a circle, making Malajandro press his lips together to keep from laughing.

Half an hour later, Grace and Jenna piled on top of Danny’s wheelchair, Steve making groaning noises as he pushed the three of them to the his truck. Once inside, the girls sat in the back singing a song, and Danny rested his head against the passenger side window.

“You okay?” Steve asked.

“Yeah,” Danny said, although he was a little worried at how tired he felt. He knew he wasn’t going to leave without a little fatigue, but he hadn’t even walked to the truck under his own power and was already feeling a little sleepy.

“You just got out of the hospital,” Steve said, seeming to understand what Danny was thinking. “You need to be patient.”

“Talking from experience?” Danny asked, tilting his head so he could watch Steve. He liked the way Steve rested his palms on the steering wheel, his arms flexing as he made minor adjustments. He also seemed relaxed, a small smile on his face that warmed Danny. Steve was a beautiful man, there was no question about it, and Danny resolved that if for some reason Steve decided that he would be Danny’s friend, Danny would take what he could get.

“I got hurt a couple of times when I was in the Navy, and I broke my arm last year.”

“What did you do? Rescue a busload of children from an accident? Rappel down a burning building to save some nuns?”

Steve mumbled.

Danny leaned forward. “What was that?”

“I fell over my trashcan in my office,” Steve admitted.

Danny didn’t bother to hide the laughter that washed over him. He hadn’t had a laugh like that in a long time, and it felt good. Even the coughs afterward were worth it.

Steve just rolled his eyes, smiling as he kept his focus on the road.

The kids didn’t hesitate to hop out of the car as soon as Steve turned off the ignition, waiting impatiently for their father to get out before taking his hands and pulling him down the path that led to the lanai.

“Come look at the beach!” Grace shouted loudly.

“Lots of beach!” Jenna said just as loudly.

Danny shared an amused glance at Steve. The girls were so excited about showing him around that he decided not to mention that he’d been to Steve’s once before. They showed him where they’d built the sandcastle, they took him right to the edge of the water so that he could “see it really good”, they showed him the outside shower.

Finally, when they started talking about building a new sandcastle, Steve stepped in, reminding them that Danny was still getting better and needed to rest. And, as if bidden, fatigue washed over Danny.

“Damnit, you promised,” Steve muttered, grabbing Danny as he stumbled on the sand and taking him back to the house.

“I felt fine until you said something,” Danny said even as he enjoyed leaning into Steve’s touch. He reached out for one of the lanai chairs, but Steve pulled him along. 

“Let’s get you on the couch,” Steve said, “so you don’t fall asleep out there again.”

“I was just resting my eyes last time,” Danny protested. He turned his head back and shouted, “Time to go inside, ladies!”

“Snoring, Danno. You were snoring.”

“You wouldn’t have been able to hear me over those waves even if I had been snoring.”

“Now you’re complaining about the waves.”

“I’m just saying that they’re loud. Just making a statement, thank you very much.”

“Some people would say that it’s soothing.”

Danny snorted, enjoying himself as he lowered himself to the sofa, patting it so the girls would climb on beside him. “I’m a Jersey boy. Give me screeching tires and car alarms. Give me the sound of –”

“ – gunfire in the distance?” Steve asked.

Danny glared at him. “Jersey isn’t a war zone.”

Steve shrugged, tried to look innocent. Tried and failed, as far as Danny was concerned. 

“Danno, what’s for dinner?” Grace asked.

Dinner. Shit. He hadn’t even thought about that. All this time, Steve had been feeding his kids, and Danny hadn’t even offered to compensate him. He realized he’d been silent for way too long and looked into Steve’s eyes, eyes that were way too compassionate for his taste. 

Fortunately, Steve didn’t bring up something Danny would prefer they discuss in private. “I was thinking, in honor of your getting out of the hospital, that we could eat your favorite food. So, what do you want to eat?”

“Pizza!” Jenna said promptly.

“I want pizza too!” Grace said.

Danny couldn’t help but smile at his girls and was getting ready to ask if they wanted their usual, cheese for Jenna and pepperoni for Grace, when Steve said, “we can have pizza another night, but tonight’s Danno’s turn to choose.”

Danny blinked in surprise.

Steve simply smiled at him.

He was about to say that pizza was fine when it suddenly hit him that he couldn’t remember the last time he’d done something just for him, when he’d chosen something because it was what he wanted.

“Why don’t we put on a movie while Danno thinks about it, okay?” Steve grinned at the girls, who seemed just as shocked as their father.

“Okay,” Grace agreed finally. “What tapes do you got?”

“What tapes do you have,” Danny corrected automatically.

Grace repeated it dutifully, looking up at Steve.

“Let’s go check out my DVD shelf, see what options we have.”

The girls followed Steve, and Danny listened with half an ear as Steve had to explain to them why he didn’t have VHS tapes and what a DVD was. The rest of him was trying to figure out when he’d given up… himself, when he’d stopped choosing and simply followed along with others’ wishes. It happened before the girls, he thought, backing up in his memory. Did it start with Rachel? As much as part of him wanted to dump it all on her, he’d been a grown man and had to put at least some of the blame on himself and his own decisions. However, he thought back and realized that he’d been that way even before Rachel. In fact, the only time he’d ever done anything simply because he wanted to was when he’d joined the force. Every other decision he’d made was in deference to – or in direct opposition of – someone else. And now, when he was asked to make a simple decision in what he wanted to eat, he found himself incapable of making a decision. How pathetic was that?

“Danny!” Danny looked up to find Steve crouched in front of him, staring at him in concern. “I called you four times. Are you okay?”

Danny smiled at him, knowing that Steve was worried that he’d been released too soon. “I’m fine, just dealing with the sudden and depressing realization that there’s only been one time when I actually made a decision just for me.”

Steve nodded. “When you signed up for the police academy.” He smiled smugly.

“I’m not sure I appreciate your insight,” Danny complained.

Steve sat beside him, pressing against his side. “I have the benefit of distance,” he said, “and it’s easy to see how much you live for Jenna and Grace.”

Danny looked at the two girls shoved together on Steve’s large recliner as they avidly watched some orange cartoon fish on the television.

“But,” Steve continued, “you have to take some time for you.”

“That’s your professional opinion?” Danny knew he was being snarky. 

Steve grinned. “I just noticed that every decision you make is what's best, first for the girls, and second for the shop. Never just for you.”

Danny found that what he really wanted to do for himself was brush his hand against Steve’s cheek so he could feel the stubble he saw growing there. He wanted to press his lips against Steve’s, enjoy the pressure as Steve kissed back.

He hadn’t realized that he’d started to lean forward until a banging noise at the door had him jerking back.

Steve frowned and stood. “That can’t be Catherine. She’s at the shop, and she has her own key.”

Catherine. Danny leaned back, staring blindly at the fish on the screen as he heard Steve open the door.

A whirlwind blew into the room. It took Danny a good minute to figure out it was Steve’s troublesome sister, Mary, because she swept in with a flurry of suitcases and bags and a story about how “the cabbie claimed that he almost forgot my Prada bag in the trunk, but he and I both know that it cost more than he earns in a year” and how the “asshole flight attendants who want me to check my duty free bags-”.

He’d been amused until the cursing began, and he stood, cutting her off mid story. “You must be Mary. I’m Danny.” He held out his hand and kept it there, his eyes commanding Mary’s focus. Mary automatically dropped her bag and shook his hand, her grip surprisingly firm. “And those are my young daughters over there, Grace and Jenna.”

The girls sat frozen, staring at Mary like she was an orangutan who had just burst into the house. Their eyes were huge, Jenna’s mouth hanging open in a surprised, “Oh!”.


	19. Chapter 19

“Hey, I’m Mary.” Mary smiled waved weakly at them before turning back to Danny. “Sorry.”

Danny waved her off and sat back down, fine now that she understood that little ears were listening.

“Why are you here?” Steve asked in a sigh. “How did you even know I was here?”

“Oh, you know,” Mary said, waving her arm vaguely. “I asked around, and it didn’t take a degree in rocket science to know that you’d be staying here. I haven’t been back in years and thought that this’d be a perfect time to come visit and hang out with my big brother!” She pushed at his shoulder playfully, but it was obvious to Danny that she had an ulterior motive.

Steve seemed to get that too, but he chose not to push it at the moment, for which Danny was inherently grateful. As it was, he was going to have to explain later every word the girls were avidly absorbing.

Mary looked around. “Did I miss dinner?”

“Actually, we were waiting for Danny to decide what he wanted to eat. It’s his first night out of the hospital.”

“Really?” Mary flopped on the other end of the sofa and faced Danny, sliding her eyes down his body.

Danny’d been the new kid too many times to let her get to him, so he simply met her gaze and refused to squirm.

“You don’t look like you got shot or were in a car accident,” she mused. “What was it? Drug overdose? Alcohol poisoning?”

“Those are the kinds of things that would put you in the hospital,” Steve said dryly. “Danny has pneumonia.”

Mary snorted. “Only kids and old people get hospitalized for pneumonia.” She grinned at Danny. “I trained to be a nurse for a couple of months.”

“It was a pretty bad case,” Danny explained, ignoring Steve’s mumbled complaints about not taking care of himself.

“Huh,” Mary said. She looked up at Steve. “I’m beat. I’m going to go take a nap. Call me when dinner’s ready?”

“The girls are staying in your old room,” Steve said, giving Danny a look that had Danny biting his tongue over the offer he was going to make to move them. This was Steve’s sister, Steve’s house, Steve’s decision.

“Oh.” Mary regained her balance quickly. “You’re probably staying in mom and dad’s bedroom, so I’ll just take yours.”

“Catherine’s in there,” Steve said.

“Catherine’s here? Where is she?”

“She’s over at Danny’s shop. It doesn’t close until nine.”

Mary looked over at Danny, and he wondered if she saw his guilt over having someone else running his shop while he relaxed on the sofa.

“Why don’t you take the sofa?” Danny suggested, ignoring Steve’s glare and acknowledging to himself that his resolve to let Steve handle his own business only lasted about two minutes. But Mary was family, and he could see that at this rate, it was going to end with her either flying away or staying in a hotel.

Steve and Mary were obviously unused to spending time together, and Danny knew that they needed that time if they were going to get comfortable with each other. They hadn’t been able to do it with her traveling around the world and getting into trouble, a bid for attention if Danny’d ever seen one. Her coming to visit Steve was a big step, even though Danny didn’t think either of them realized that yet. The important thing was that he did, and he wasn’t about to let them let this opportunity slip through their fingers. He’d slept in tight quarters with his girls before; he could do it again.

Suddenly, Steve got a look on his face, and Danny got worried. “What’s that face?” He asked suspiciously.

The look was smoothed over and replaced with one of false innocence. “This is my, ‘I’m starving and wish Danny would make up his mind’ face.”

Pushing himself up, Danny said, “Let’s see what you have in the kitchen.”

“Oh, no,” Steve said, using one hand to push Danny back on the sofa. “You choose what you want to eat. If I don’t have it, I’ll run to the store. It won’t take that long.”

Suddenly Danny knew what he wanted. He jerked his head toward the lanai. “How about we fire up the grill and throw on some steaks? I was way too tired to appreciate them last time.”

Steve looked pleased. “Great! Will the girls eat steak?”

“Grace probably won’t. Jenna definitely won’t. Throw on a couple of hotdogs, and we’ll be golden.”

“What else?”

Danny tried to think of something that wouldn’t take a lot of effort.

“Anything you want.”

“Mashed potatoes,” Danny said instantly.

“And?”

“Uh, rolls?”

“And?”

Danny knew what Steve wanted, but he wasn’t quite ready to give in yet. “How about a fruit salad? No pineapples.”

Steve looked displeased with the exclusion but nodded. “Next?”

“I think that’s it,” Danny said, resettling on the sofa.

“Okay,” Steve said, doing a poor job of trying not to look unhappy.

Laughing to himself, Danny waited until Steve had turned toward the kitchen before adding, “oh, and mixed vegetables if you have ‘em.”

Steve turned, his blinding smile almost making Danny stop breathing for a moment, before continuing to the kitchen.

“So,” Mary said, doing her own settling in as she faced Danny. “Who are you, how do you know my brother, and why are you living with him?”

A hand on his knee had Danny looking up to see the girls standing beside him, their cartoon forgotten. They clearly wanted to be close to him, and he pulled them around himself, letting them rest against his sides. “I own a Boone franchise here, and Steve’s helping me with some issues.”

“That doesn’t explain why you’re living in our house.”

“It’s Uncle Steve’s house,” Grace corrected. Her tone was respectful even in its firmness, and Danny realized that she and Jenna had come over to protect him from a perceived threat. It warmed him that they felt just as protective over him as he did over them.

“It’s actually our dad’s house, but Steve and I grew up here,” Mary said, smiling at Grace, who didn’t smile back. Mary finally seemed to realize that while she was in her childhood home, she wasn’t in the most friendly territory at the moment. “What’re you watching?”

“Nemo,” Jenna spoke, her finger in her mouth, Recording Rita in a chokehold.

“I love that movie,” Mary gushed. “What’s your favorite part?”

Jenna shrugged.

“We’ve never seen it before,” Grace said.

“And you’re missing some of the best parts!” Mary exclaimed. “Why don’t we restart it, and this time I’ll be quiet so you can watch, okay?”

Danny offered her a small smile, and the girls nodded hesitantly, walking back over to the chair they were sharing as Mary restarted the DVD. She returned to the sofa. “You have a couple of cute bodyguards there.”

“We’re a pretty protective family,” Danny said, making sure she understood that it went both ways.

She smiled wistfully. “That sounds nice.”

Danny wanted to make a case for Steve, mention that Steve’s continuously rescuing Mary was his way of protecting her, but he didn’t know her well enough for that kind of conversation. Plus, Steve might’ve talked about Mary in confidence, and Danny didn’t feel comfortable revealing how much he knew without speaking to Steve first.

Mary yawned, and Danny said, “why don’t you go upstairs and take that nap, and we’ll wake you up for dinner.”

“Really?”

Danny shrugged. “The girls shouldn’t need anything from in there until after we eat.”

“Thanks.” Mary smiled, and Danny saw for the first time that through the heavy makeup, she was still a girl who needed her brother.

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Steve couldn’t have been more pleased with Danny’s chosen dinner. Because of the aborted party, he already had most of the food Danny wanted except for the mixed vegetables and the fixings for a dessert he thought Danny would like. He put the potatoes in the oven, fired up the grill, and grabbed his keys. Walking into the living room, he noticed the absence of the whirlwind. True to form, her bags were still scattered over the living room, but she was gone. “Where’s Mary?”

“She went upstairs for a nap,” Danny told him, eyes still on the television. “I told her to use the girls’ room, since they didn’t need it right now.”

Relieved that he wasn’t going to be leaving Danny and his daughters in Mary’s clutches, he said, “I need to run out to the store for a few things; I’ll be back in a few.” 

He had to call Danny to ask him to turn off the oven and check on the grill, and he found himself throwing additional items in the cart, stuff he thought the girls might like. He also called to invite Chin, Malia, and Kono. Kono and Malia had to work, but Chin was free and promised to come, even after Steve warned him that Mary was going to be there.

“I’ll make sure I wear my bulletproof vest,” Chin said, laughing.

“That might not be a bad idea,” Steve answered, only partially joking.

He got back to find Danny coughing in the kitchen, drinking a glass of water. He dropped his bags on the counter, kneeling beside Danny’s chair. He didn’t want to return Danny to the hospital, but maybe they’d pushed his recovery too fast.

“I’m good,” Danny told him in between coughs. “I just did my exercises.” He waved around his spirometer before putting it down on the table. “The funny thing is, I was fine until I started rinsing it out at the sink.” He coughed again. “But Doc said that coughing was good, too, as long as it didn’t get out of control.”

Steve was pleased that Danny was taking his promises seriously. He never wanted to find Danny unconscious lying on the floor again. It’d probably given him a few grey hairs.

He returned to the counter, taking the items out of his bags. “How’re the girls?”

“Still enthralled with the movie. Think I can find it on video?”

Steve started to smile but remembered that Danny didn’t own a DVD player. The part of him that liked to fix things wanted to rip through Danny’s building, replacing all of his antiquated machines – the cash register, espresso machine, his old computer, the refrigerator, the television, the VCR, even the old microwave upstairs. But he knew Danny wouldn’t appreciate it. Through all of the trials of his life, Danny had always been able to rely on himself. The last thing he needed was someone to come through and rip away his independence.

Besides, that was one of the things he liked most about Danny. His resilience – and resourcefulness – had allowed him to get to where he was, and despite his current situation, he was successful as far as Steve was concerned.

“I’ll check around,” he promised, making a mental note to pull Chin aside later and ask if he knew where they could still find VHS tapes.

Steve threw the steaks on the grill and worked on the mashed potatoes. He refused Danny’s help but was pleased when Danny went to check on the girls and returned less than a minute later to keep him company. They chatted about inconsequential things while he heated the vegetables, warmed the rolls, and threw two hotdogs on the grill. Sighing, he looked up the stairs.

“The Kraken must awaken,” Danny said, clapping him on the shoulder.

Amused, Steve looked down at Danny. “Do I even want to know where you got that?”

Danny shrugged, grinning. “Kono saw it in some movie. She told me about it, but all I can really remember is that one line.”

“I’ll pay you a hundred dollars to go up there and wake her up,” Steve said.

“No way,” Danny said. “She might have a gun underneath her pillow. Or, knowing my luck, she’ll wake up swinging, especially if she opens her eyes and doesn’t instantly recognize me. You’re a friendly face, so she might not shoot you.”

“She might shoot me anyway,” Steve muttered.

“How long has it been since you two’ve been face to face?”

Steve had to think. “Six years maybe? And it looks like nothing’s changed with her.”

“You’re her big brother,” Danny reminded him. “You know the one thing I noticed about all of your stories about her? Whenever she was in trouble, she called you.”

“Because she knew I could throw money at her problems and make them go away.”

“True,” Danny allowed, “but I think it’s also because she wants you pick up that phone. She relies on you to be there for her, no matter how many times she screws up.”

Steve’d never thought about it past the point that Mary had gotten herself into trouble again, and he wondered if Danny were right, that Mary called him because she knew he’d always be there for her. It made him feel less like a failure and more like a big brother.

The doorbell rang, and Danny said, “It’s probably Chin. I’ll go get that while you wake up your sister.” He shot Steve a grin as he made for the door.

Steve climbed the stairs, his feet dragging like it used to when he was little and had to go to bed. He fought back a laugh at the thought and sped up the pace.

Mary almost looked angelic as she lay on her side, hands under her face. Steve stood and gazed at her, taken back to when they’d been a happy family living in this house. She’d always been difficult to wake, and once when he’d become impatient, he’d grabbed her by her foot and pulled her out of the bed.

“Mary,” he said, shaking her shoulder before moving out of the way just in case she did have a gun under her pillow.

Mary opened her eyes and sat up slowly, stretching. “What’s with the grin?”

“I was just remembering the time you refused to get out of bed so I dragged you out by your foot.”

“That was so rude!” Mary ran her hands through her hair. “I could’ve gotten hurt.”

“You should’ve gotten up,” Steve maintained. “You knew I had to be at school early to set up for the physics challenge.”

Mary shrugged. “Everyone knew you were going to win.”

“I wouldn’t have won if my experiment had failed, and it needed at least four hours of prep time.”

“You wouldn’t have failed. When you do something, you always do your best. You’re like dad that way.”

Steve’d never thought that he was anything like his father, who always kept himself a little remote from his kids. For years Steve had done his best to excel at everything to make his father proud and get his attention – until he finally realized that the person who really needed to be proud of him was himself. It hadn’t stopped him from wanting his father’s attention; it’d just stopped him from expecting it.

“Dinner ready?” Mary asked.

Clearing his mind, Steve said, “Almost. Chin’s here.”

“Chin? I haven’t seen him in years!”

“Kono wanted to come too, but she’s working.”

“Do I need to come down to her job and make a scene?”

“Not unless you want to get arrested again. She’s in the police academy.”

“I always thought that you’d end up as a cop. You know, once you got out of the Navy.”

Steve had thought about it briefly, but he’d realized that their rules would be too confining. Give him a mission and the parameters, and let him go at it. “Too many rules,” he explained.

She laughed. “Let me clean up, and I’ll be down.”

The evening turned out to be fun. Danny helped Steve with the rest of the food while the girls kept Chin and Mary entertained. Steve had to hold in his laughter at the way Danny kept his ear turned to the room, probably to make sure that Mary wasn’t cursing a blue streak around his daughters.

Mary grilled Danny during dinner, which Steve didn’t really mind at all since he was curious about Danny’s answers as well. Steve learned a little more about Danny’s past, although he could tell that Danny glossed over a lot of ugly details even with the few stories from the various group and foster homes he told. He mentioned Rachel here and there and simply responded to Mary’s inquiry with, “she and new husband died in a car accident almost two years ago” before launching into another story about the girls’ antics.

Steve learned a lot from Danny’s stories, but he learned a lot more from what Danny didn’t say about himself, the way he spent a lot of time making sure that the girls were included in the conversation and how he made sure to work in questions for Mary and Chin in between Mary’s questions for him.

But what Steve liked best was the way he and Danny worked together, making dinner, brushing against each other as they moved around the kitchen. They sat beside each other at the table, and if anyone noticed that their chairs were a little closer than anyone else’s, they didn’t say anything about it.

They’d just started eating dessert – fruit pops for the girls, a sponge cake topped with strawberries for the adults – when Catherine came dragging in, a stack of folders in her arms.

Danny immediately popped up and said, “Sit! Have some dinner,” before heading into the kitchen.

“Too tired,” Catherine called out to him, dropping the folders on the coffee table before falling on the sofa.

Danny returned with a filled plate that Steve didn’t remember seeing him make. He put it down at the empty seat and said, “You need to eat, or you’ll end up getting sick.”

“He would know,” Steve chimed in, smiling at Danny’s glare.

With a sigh, Catherine came over and sat at the table, one bite turning into a feeding frenzy that had the others watching in amazement. Eventually she slowed down, looking up as she wiped her mouth with a napkin. “I guess I was hungrier than I thought.”

“I was going to give you seconds, but I thought you might accidentally eat my arm,” Mary said, laughter in her voice.

Catherine smiled good-naturedly. “We were really busy today at the shop. Kamekona’s cousins are a godsend.” She looked at Danny. “I brought the paperwork.”

“What paperwork?” Steve asked.

“I need to go over some things,” Danny explained. “Since I can’t work at the shop, I can at least catch up on the paperwork.”

Steve knew that Danny didn’t know the meaning of the phrase ‘taking it easy’ and was worried that he’d work too hard. The last thing any of them wanted was to have him back in the hospital.

“I’m not going to overdo it,” Danny promised, reading his mind.

Steve knew Danny wasn’t enjoying having someone else looking after the shop. He’d seen the other man’s expression when he’d come home from the grocery store with the bags, knowing that Danny was trying to calculate in his mind how much the food had cost. Steve had money that he’d never spent from when he was in the Navy, and he was making a pretty penny at his current job, where he rarely did anything more extravagant than eat out. None of this was going to make a dent in his bank account. But he knew that Danny didn’t have the luxury of dropping a wad of cash at the grocery store. He was a proud man, and Steve was just waiting for the uncomfortable yet inevitable conversation where Danny would want to pay Steve back for everything.

His head was probably going to explode when he realized how much Catherine got paid per day and learned that Steve was personally supplementing her income – and paying for Kamekona’s relatives – while she worked at the shop.

“I have an early shift tomorrow, so I’d better go,” Chin said, rising from the table and reaching for his dessert plate. “Thanks for dinner.” Danny snagged the plate before Chin could take hold. “Brah, I practically lived here back in the day. I know where the kitchen is.”

“You were invited to eat dinner, not work,” Danny insisted. “Besides, you’ve done so much. I think I can handle taking your dirty dishes into the kitchen.”

Chin smiled. “You’re a good host.”

Steve blinked, realizing that Chin was grinning at him. “I’m a good host! I grilled the steaks.”

Chin smiled and said in the tone Steve heard him use on the girls, “you’re a good host too, Steve.”

Danny grinned. “Girls, say goodbye to Chin.”

Chin’s smile grew wide as the girls planted sticky kisses on his cheeks.

Steve walked Chin out to his car.

“How’s it going with Danny’s case?” Chin asked.

Steve sighed. “Victor’s putting on the full court press. I have a teleconference with him and Dad about three hours before Danny’s doctor’s appointment tomorrow.”

“You think Danny’s going to have to shut down?”

“I won’t let that happen.” Thanks to Victor’s assistant who, it turned out, wasn’t a fan of his boss, they had a pretty good idea of Victor’s plan of attack. “Recording Rita’s tape will prove that Victor has a personal grudge against Danny, but we still don’t know why he hates Danny so much.”

“Could they have run across each other a long time ago?”

“I haven’t been able to figure out how – or where. Victor’s from a wealthy family, lived, in Europe, traveled around the world, went to UCLA. I haven’t found any indication that he’s spent any longer than a possible layover in Jersey. And until he’d moved here, Danny spent his entire life there.”

Chin thought a moment. “This might sound like a soap opera, but – ”

“Long lost siblings?” Steve asked. “I might’ve gotten my hands on samples from both of them and had a lab rush through a DNA test. They’re not related.”

“Could Danny have run into someone from Victor’s family?”

“Not that I’ve been able to tell. Victor has a younger brother, Anton, who fell off the grid a while ago, so I guess it’s possible. Before he disappeared, he was a troublemaker.”

Chin smiled. “Like another younger sibling we know?”

“She’s a cupcake compared to him,” Steve said. He’d gotten a look at Anton’s rap sheet and was surprised that the guy wasn’t parked in a jail somewhere.

“Really?” Chin looked a little sympathetic.

“Don’t feel sorry for Victor,” Steve said. “It looks like he cut Anton out of his life years ago.”

“Bad for his reputation?”

“Or maybe he got tired of bailing his brother out all of the time,” Steve said, knowing that he could relate.

“And there aren’t any links between Danny and Anton?”

“None that we could find.”

“You think Danny knows why Victor hates him so much?”

Steve shrugged. “He’s a smart guy; I think he’s figured it out even if Victor didn’t tell him outright.”

“You’re trying to help him keep his business,” Chin pointed out. ‘He’ll probably be grateful enough to explain if you ask.”

Steve snorted. “You realize that we’re talking about Danny, right?”

Chin chuckled, straddling his bike and putting on his helmet.

“One of the homeless men from around the corner came in today and told me that he’d been paid to take pictures of the place right after Danny opened. The guy came back a while later and did it again. That’s gotta be how Victor got the details he put in Danny’s cease and desist letter.”

“You have a name you want me to run?” Chin asked.

“Not yet. Catherine’s trying to track him down.”

“Keep me posted,” Chin said.

“One last thing,” Steve said, “do you know where I can find a copy of ‘Finding Nemo’ on video? The girls really like it, and Danny only has a VCR at his place. ”

Chin frowned, thinking. “One of the cousins probably has a copy floating around. I’ll ask around.”

“Thanks,” Steve said, stepping back and holding up a hand in farewell as Chin took off down the street.


	20. Chapter 20

Steve returned inside, surprised to find the table empty. Catherine, back on the sofa, was the only person around. “Where’d everyone go?”

Catherine patted the cushion beside her, and Steve sat obediently. She leaned in, whispering conspiratorially, “Danny cleaned off the table and got Grace, Jenna, and Mary to help him.”

Steve wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly. “I thought for a second there you said Mary helped.”

“She did! I don’t know whether it was his stern dad look or the fact that his little girls were working harder than she was, but Mary hopped up and helped. In fact, she’s in the kitchen right now doing the dishes.”

“Where’s my camera?” Steve said, only half joking.

“I already snuck a few shots and texted them to you,” Catherine said.

“I can’t believe she didn’t try to enlist your help.”

“She did,” Catherine chuckled, “but Danny told her that I’d been working in the shop all day and shouldn’t have to come home and do more work. Oh, before I forget.” She reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone. A few finger taps later, and she handed the phone to Steve.

Steve looked at the man in the picture, Asian with a round face and glasses. “Who’s – wait.” He looked at Catherine hopefully.

She nodded, smiling. “Meet the man who gave Beck the money to take pictures of Danny’s shop.”

Steve looked closer at the picture. “How’d you find him?”

“His name’s Max Bergman. He used to work in the mailroom. He was the guy who walked through the building with the mail cart, delivering and grabbing the mail.”

“And you’re sure he’s the guy who paid off Beck?”

“Beck confirmed it.”

“You said used to work in the mailroom.”

“Turns out, he’s now in a manager trainee program with Morgan Enterprises here on the island. Three guesses as to who gave him a glowing reference.”

“Victor Hesse.”

“Got it in one,” Catherine said, sitting back. “Beck said he’d make a statement if you wanted.”

“We might have to take him up on that later. Right now, while it answers one of our questions, it’s not really something I can take to dad.” 

“Have you found the link between Danny and Victor?”

“No,” Steve sighed. “I’ve hinted to Danny that it would be really helpful if he could tell me what he knows.”

Catherine grinned. “He’s a smart guy, and you’re not the king of subtlety, so I’m guessing that he’s intentionally ignoring you.

“Yeah, but I’m going to have to push soon.” It wasn’t a conversation Steve was looking forward to having.

“Give me some advance notice, so I can be somewhere else.” Her smile faded. “Chin told me about something you learned from Recording Rita?”

“Yeah. It’s really short but proves that Victor has a grudge against Danny.” He would’ve offered to let her listen to it, but he already felt guilty for listening to it himself. He looked around. “Where’s Danny now?” The place felt a little too quiet without the three Williamses around.

“He’s giving the girls ‘tubby tubs’ upstairs.” Catherine smiled. “That is one sweet family right there. They’re all so devoted to each other.”

“They’ve gone through some tough times,” Steve said. “That can lead to some serious bonding. Besides, those girls know that Danno would walk through fire for them.”

He couldn’t help but compare Danny to his own father, who checked out after Steve’s mom had died. He’d always kind of been that stereotypically old fashioned dad, the one who came home after work, ruffled his children’s hair, then sat in the Barcalounger with his newspaper and a drink. After Steve’s mom died, his dad didn’t even try to fill in the void she’d left behind, and Steve supposed he still felt a little resentful about that. He knew that Mary must feel it too, because her getting into all of that trouble was a blatant demand for attention. Their father’s secretary started forwarding Mary’s calls to Steve once he started working there, and eventually, Mary just started calling his direct line herself. She might not’ve gotten their dad’s attention, but she’d sure gotten Steve’s.

The star of his thoughts chose that moment to walk out of the kitchen, muttering to herself.

“You didn’t melt or anything, did you?” He smiled to take the sting out of his words.

“Wasn’t that one of the wicked witches?” Mary asked, unrolling a sleeve.

“Your point?” Steve snarked.

“Ass,” Mary snorted, plopping into a chair. “Your boyfriend made me do the dishes.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Steve said.

“Stop lying. I see how you two look at each other. And you were practically sitting in each other’s laps at dinner.”

“He’s just a friend,” Steve insisted, keeping his face expressionless. Mary had a gift for digging out a person’s insecurities and using it against them.

Mary raised her eyebrows. “You mean you two haven’t knocked boots?”

Steve sighed, hoping Danny stayed upstairs for a little while longer. “Mary –”

“You haven’t jumped his bones? Done the deed? Had some horizontal refreshment?”

“Seriously, that’s enough.”

“Danced the mattress jig? Done the nasty?” This was the Mary from his childhood, the one who just loved to pick at him until he finally sprayed her with a hose or picked her up and tossed her into the ocean. And then he was the bad guy. “Gone like a belt-fed motor?”

“That’s eno- belt-fed motor? Really?”

Mary shrugged. “I was with a guy for a while who sold old car and motorcycle parts on eBay. If you don’t like that one, how about did you have a bit of summer cabbage?”

Steve couldn’t even think of anything to say. Obviously, his Mary-coping skills were rusty.

“I’ve also dated a few farmers,” she explained.

“It’s one thing to joke around with me,” Steve said, sitting forward and piercing Mary with his eyes, “but you don’t know Danny, and he shouldn’t have to put up with this from you.”

“Put up with me? Like I’m some sort of weight dragging you down?”

“I can drop a weight!”

“I didn’t come here to get insulted!”

“No, you came here for a free place to stay, a free meal, and to piss me off! And you’re probably running from something or someone and need me to fix things. Again!”

Steve suddenly realized that he and Mary were now standing and yelling at each other just like last time they’d been together. He looked at the sofa and realized that at some point, Catherine had made her escape. He didn’t blame her.

“No wonder you haven’t seen each other in six years,” Danny said, leaning against the doorway.

Steve whirled around, wondering how much he’d heard.

“What do you know about families?” Mary asked snidely.

Steve almost lunged at her. It was one thing for her to rake him over the coals, but he wasn’t going to let her do it to Danny.

Danny walked further into the room. He rested a hand against Steve’s back, that light touch enough to stop Steve in his tracks.

“I may not know from personal experience,” Danny said, his voice still mild, “but thanks to those two little girls trying to sleep upstairs, I know what love feels like. And I know what it looks like.” He stepped closer to Mary. “You can be as mean as you like, but he’s still going to be here for you. Haven’t you figured that out yet?” He turned to Steve. “She’s your sister.” He shrugged, giving Steve a half-smile. “No matter what, she’ll always be your sister.” He dropped his hand, and Steve felt an unexpected chill. “I’m going to join Catherine in the kitchen while you work this out. I would appreciate it if you could just take it down a little bit; Grace has school tomorrow.” Grabbing the stack of papers from the coffee table, he walked to the doorway and stopped. “And by the way, it was the West.”

“What?”

“It was the Wicked Witch of the West who melted.” He tossed them a wink and disappeared into the other room.

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Danny pressed the stack of papers against his chest to hold back a threatening cough as he walked further into the kitchen. He knew that if he so much as wheezed, he’d have Steve all over his ass instead of hashing it out with his sister. After dumping the papers on the table, he grabbed a glass from the cabinet and poured himself some water, draining it before refilling it and collapsing in a chair at the table.

“You okay?” Catherine asked, beer in hand.

“Yeah,” Danny said, his voice hitching as he spoke. “Just maybe talked too much tonight, and I have to do my breathing exercises.”

She tapped the stack of papers. “You sure you want go to through all of this?”

Danny shrugged. “It’s only going to get bigger.”

Steve walked in the room with Mary, who immediately swept her arm wide. “See? The place looks immaculate.”

“It does look pretty good,” Steve said grudgingly, nudging Mary with his shoulder. She had to take a couple of steps to regain her footing, but she was smiling.

Danny figured he’d take that as an indication that they’d at least reached some sort of stalemate.

“So this is from the shop?” Mary asked, tapping the pile of papers as Steve grabbed a glass and poured some water from the tap.

Danny caught Steve’s glare from over the glass and promised, “I’m not gonna push myself too hard.”

Mary looked confused. “Why don’t you just keep it all on your laptop? It’s easier to carry than all of this paper.”

“He doesn’t have a laptop, just a huge desktop probably older than you,” Steve muttered.

“And you practically have to be double jointed to reach it,” Catherine added.

“I’m not going to sit here and listen you two malign my equipment,” Danny said mildly. He wasn’t really upset since they weren’t saying anything he hadn’t thought many times himself. He gathered his papers, snatching his spirometer and notepad on the way out to the lanai, careful to slide the glass door closed behind him. He dropped the papers on the table, using a rock from the ground as a paperweight.

After listening for a second, making sure he couldn’t hear the conversation inside, he started his exercises. It only took a few coughs for him to realize that he should’ve also brought his water, but he wasn’t about to go back inside for it now.

He looked at the results on the spirometer, making a little face as he made notations on the small notepad Steve had gotten him.

“Now who’s got the face?” Steve asked, plunking a glass down in front of Danny.

“It’s my I’m-not-doing-so-bad expression,” Danny explained, holding up the pad for Steve’s inspection as he surreptitiously shoved his sputum-filled napkin into his pocket.

Steve squinted at the pad. “Am I supposed to understand these scratches?”

Danny huffed and snatched the pad back, closing it and shoving the small pen inside the metal rungs. “Shut up.” He took a long draw from the glass. “Thanks for the water.”

“No problem.” Steve sat down in the chair beside Danny, silent as he looked up at the sky. He stretched out his legs, folding his fingers and resting his hands on his flat stomach.

Danny tried not to pay attention as he watched Steve out of the corner of his eye, wishing he could put his own hands on Steve’s stomach. He decided he was going to have to focus on something else or grow cross-eyed, so he picked up the first folder, flipping through delivery receipts. He spotted something that just didn’t look right, and flipped through a few others, anger growing the more he read. “What the hell?” He looked up and found Steve staring at him. “These aren’t just wrong. It’s highway robbery!”

Catherine stepped outside. “Problem?”

“They’re charging way too much.”

“For which things?”

“For every damn thing!” Danny glared at the paper, coughed, and took a sip of water.

“I’m sorry,” Catherine said, kneeling at Danny’s side.

Anger boiled down into a knot in his stomach, and he offered Catherine a small smile. “It’s not your fault. However, I’ll be giving Brady Tulloch a call for a little chat tomorrow.” He forced himself to close the folder. “I don’t think I’ve thanked you for all of your help at the shop; I know firsthand how stressful it is.

“It was actually a good refresher. Before we can work in the corporate office, we have to spend some time working at a shop, and at least a day every year. But it’s been too long since I’ve worked at one for any real length of time.” She looked at Steve. “I’m actually going to recommend to your dad that we change it from one day to at least a week.”

“Mine isn’t like other shops, though,” Danny reminded her, “so don’t expect to have to work so hard.”

“Yeah,” Steve muttered. “Other stores actually get help from the home office.”

Danny didn’t really know what to say about that. He’d always known he was getting a crappy end of the deal, but at the time he didn’t think it was personal. And he still didn’t know exactly how much support they really were supposed to give him. Gladys’d had the franchise up and running before handing it off to him, and even then, she was still the owner up until she died.

Catherine stood slowly, and Danny could tell that she was feeling the effects of being on her feet all day. He was about to offer her his chair when she casually walked over to Steve and sat on his lap. “I’m going to have to leave soon. I have some meetings to go over the results in our test stores, and I need to be there in person.”

Danny missed the rest of the conversation as he watched her talk business to Steve, all while casually running her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. Bitterness and anger and jealousy stuck in his throat, and he swallowed some water, only to cough it up.

“You okay?” Steve asked.

Danny waved him off and focused on his wet shirt, embarrassed but relieved at having an excuse to leave. He couldn’t be here and watch that. “I’ll be fine. I’m just gonna – ” he motioned toward the house and fled inside and up the stairs, closing himself in the bathroom and pressing his hands against the sink. What the hell had he been thinking? His mind went back to the times he’d thought Steve was flirting with him. Maybe Steve was one of those love-the-one-you’re-with types of guys. Maybe he wasn’t interested in Danny after all. Yeah, Danny thought bitterly, Steve probably felt guilty, thought Danny was this poor schlub with two kids who’d gotten a raw deal.

The sooner Danny and his girls could move back home and resume their lives, the better it was for everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the Glossary of Sexual and Scatological Euphemisms website (http://www15.uta.fi/FAST/GC/sex-scat.html) for help with this chapter.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday! I've managed to finish going through this chapter, so here's a bonus second one for the day. See what happens when I'm not scheduled to work on my favorite day of the week? I hope everyone enjoys.
> 
> Thanks SO MUCH to everyone who has commented and sent kudos. I love the conversation and the speculation and appreciate your continued commitment to this story.

Steve frowned, watching Danny rush inside. “You think he’s okay?”

Catherine sighed, climbing off Steve’s lap and sitting in Danny’s vacated chair. “Are you really interested in being with Danny?”

It took Steve a second to follow the abrupt change in topic. “Where’d this come from?”

“You let me sit there on your lap and play with your hair right in front of him.”

“Danny and I talked about this. He knows that you and I aren’t serious.”

“And he said he was okay with it?”

Steve thought back. “We got a little distracted talking about Victor, but he hasn’t said anything.”

“And you think he would? What happened to stepping up your game and showing your interest?”

“What am I supposed to do? Plant one on him while he’s trying to breathe?”

Catherine stared at him a moment. “It’s my fault. Actually, it’s the fault of every person who’s succumbed to your slow smile and washboard abs.”

“Cath – ”

“You’ve probably always been able to sit back and let your partners come to you. I bet if I asked Mary and Chin, it’s always been like that. Now you have someone who isn’t just going to climb on your lap and play with your hair. If you want Danny, you’re going to have to stake your claim. And if you aren’t going to step it up, then I know someone who will.”

Steve was prepared to tell Catherine that she had no idea how difficult it was to make a move toward a recuperating man in a house filled with people in the middle of a stressful situation when her last words stopped him. “Who will?”

“I met Felix.”

Steve snorted. “He doesn’t like kids.”

“Actually,” Catherine said, crossing her legs in that way that always caught Steve’s attention, “he told me that he hasn’t been around many children, but he’s taking steps to be more comfortable around them – because he’s interested in Danny.”

Steve leaned over the table, closer to Catherine, anger coiling in his stomach. “He told you that?”

“In so many words,” Catherine allowed. “He seems to be genuinely interested in Danny, willing to actually say and do something. So you need to decide if whether you’re going to fish or cut bait. And soon.”

Steve sat back, unsettled. He’d been out of the military too long and hadn’t neutralized a legitimate threat. He’d grown complacent. And he’d already begun taking Danny for granted, something he’d thought he’d never do.

Figuring no time like the present, he stood. “I’m gonna go check on him.”

“Go get ‘em, Tiger,” Catherine said, slapping him on the ass as he walked past, grinning cheekily at his glare.

Passing Mary doing who knew what in the kitchen, he climbed the stairs quietly, surprised to find the bathroom dark, the door open. He knew Danny wouldn’t have gone into Catherine’s or his rooms, so he slowly opened the door to the girls’ room. At first he didn’t see anything other than two little girls in strange positions on the bed, but upon closer inspection, he found Danny asleep underneath them, hair already disheveled, looking extremely uncomfortable. Steve wanted to wake him and tell him that there was plenty of room in his own bed – he’d sleep platonically with Danny even if it killed him to have the other man so close – but he wasn’t sure how without waking the girls. So instead, he returned downstairs with some blankets for Mary, who was now sitting outside, sharing a beer with Catherine.

“I guess it didn’t go so well since you’re back,” Mary said idly, peeling a banana.

Steve glared at Catherine, who shrugged. “Don’t blame me. She was eavesdropping.”

“Sound carries pretty well in this house if you don’t close the doors,” Mary reminded him, taking him back to various times they’d snuck around and listened to some of their parents’ conversations when they’d been growing up.

“He’s already asleep,” Steve explained, not wanting to discuss it with Mary, who could use it embarrass him even more in front of Danny. “I left some blankets on the sofa for you.”

“She can sleep –”

“She’s not taking your bed,” Steve told Catherine.

“I was going to say,” Catherine said, giving Steve a let-me-finish look, “that she could sleep with me. The bed’s big enough for two of us.”

“Don’t do it,” Steve warned. “She kicks.”

Mary nodded regretfully. “He’s right. He probably can’t have kids now because of me.” She smiled mischievously at him. “Of course, the path you’re taking, you’re not really going to be having kids anyway.”

Steve just chose to ignore her. “Goodnight, Catherine.” He returned upstairs, leaving the women chuckling quietly.

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The sun wasn’t a bright, merry ball in the sky, Danny decided, as his eyeballs began to burn through his eyelids. It was a fiery ball of torture straight from hell. He groaned, rubbing his hand over his face, and almost lost his balance in Steve’s hammock.

Hammocks sucked too.

However, sleeping alone in a hammock meant that he didn’t get an elbow jammed into his throat in the middle of the night, for which he was grateful. He’d slipped downstairs and outside, doing his breathing exercises before crawling into the hammock for a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.

He opened his eyes, wincing as the sun bore a little deeper into his skull, and realized that something was moving onto the beach. His eyes focused a little better, and the shape bore form, Steve heading toward him, dripping wet, board shorts hanging low on his hips. He looked like every wet dream Danny had ever had.

He saw Danny and smiled, and Danny could’ve sworn that he’d suddenly lost feeling in half his body.

“Good morning,” Steve said as he brushed his hair back, the muscles in his arms flexing, leaving Danny almost speechless.

“Um,” Danny muttered, unable to take his eyes away from Steve’s biceps.

Steve chuckled, a low deep sound that drew a certain portion of Danny’s anatomy to attention. “Obviously, you haven’t gotten your morning cup yet.”

“Hmm,” Danny said, letting Steve believe what he wanted. Besides, it was partially true.

Grabbing a towel hanging off the back of one of the chairs, Steve rubbed it over his head, giving Danny a good look at the tattoos on his chest. Obviously oblivious to what he was doing to Danny, Steve asked, “How long have you been out here?”

Danny’s phone was on the table beside Steve, and Danny wasn’t about to try to get out of the hammock while Steve was around. It wasn’t going to be pretty, if his getting into the thing were any indication. “Since… dark?” He’d come out while the stars were still out, and while he’d found the waves a little distracting, he’d fallen asleep almost immediately.

“I must’ve missed you when I came out,” Steve said, plopping on the chair and smiling goofily at him.

Danny wanted to smile back, but he felt off balance, both physically and emotionally. All he wanted to do was crawl into Steve’s lap and inspect each and every one of Steve’s tattoos. With his tongue. All he could do was blink back at the other man.

Steve either didn’t notice or didn’t care, because he continued, “I opened the door last night to check on the girls, and it looked like they were a two headed octopus trying to squeeze you to death.”

Danny couldn’t refute the analogy. He’d slept in the same bed with the girls before, but it’d been when they were much younger. And smaller. He wondered if they’d shifted so much before and he’d just never noticed or if they’d started doing it recently. Either way, he’d had to leave in order to survive. “Yeah,” he said, his voice catching as he tried to catch his breath. “It’s been a while since we shared a bed. They’ve grown up a bit.”

“You could’ve slept with me; I have more than enough room.”

Danny blinked, unsure of how to respond. After last night, he’d resigned himself to lusting after Steve from afar, sucking it up when Catherine did stuff like sit on his lap and play with his hair. He tried to remind himself that they both lived all the way over on the East Coast and would eventually return there, but that didn’t really ease the pain in his chest.

“What I’m saying is.” Steve suddenly looked uncertain, something that Danny didn’t think he’d ever seen before. Then he took a deep breath, got that storm the battlements look on his face, and said, “What I’m saying is that I would have liked you there. In my bed.”

Maybe he needed that coffee more than he thought.

“With me.” Steve added.

That clarified things, Danny supposed, sighing regretfully. Turned out, Steve was interested, just not exclusive. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m not that guy.” It hurt to say it, but living a lie would hurt more.

Steve frowned, obviously confused. It should’ve made him look a little ridiculous, but of course it just made him more endearing.

“I’m not that guy who can take things lightly,” Danny explained. “I know you and Catherine have this thing – ” He waved his arm in the air, “that seems to work for you both, but I’ve never been good at sharing.”

“The thing with Catherine is just for fun,” Steve said, and Danny could tell that he just didn’t get it.

“Babe, I can’t even begin to explain to you the difference between our definitions of fun.” His phone alarm started to buzz quietly. “And I have to wake up Grace for school. Can you do me a favor and go do whatever it is you do after swimming ten miles so I can get out of this contraption with some modicum of dignity?”

Steve smiled faintly and stood, holding his towel loosely in his hands. “I’m not finished with his conversation.”

“And it’s always about what you want, huh?” Danny asked, knowing he wasn’t being fair but wanting to move on. Even if he wanted to do the casual thing, it just wasn’t in him. He committed to people, and getting less back would slowly eat away at him. Plus, he had to think about being a good role model for his girls; he had to show by example that settling was unacceptable. He didn’t want them to think that it was okay for them to accept less than what they deserved, and while he wasn’t convinced that he deserved what he wanted, he was convinced that they did.

Hurt flashed over Steve’s face, replaced quickly by determination. “Okay then, next conversation we’ll start with what you want.”

Danny hadn’t expected that and was thankful he didn’t have to think up a ready comeback as Steve walked into the house.

Chin, bless him, had offered to take Grace to school, so Danny got her ready, fed her breakfast, and smiled wistfully as she hopped excitedly to Chin’s motorcycle. While he could understand her excitement, he was a little sad that she didn’t even look back for a final wave as they headed down the street.

He could hear Steve in his study, murmuring to someone, and decided to take the time to do his breathing exercises before returning to the paperwork. And of course, he had at least one call to make.

 

Jenna woke up less than two hours later when he was about halfway through the paperwork, and he took a break to get her ready for the day, laying out her workbooks across from him out on the lanai.

He looked out at the ocean, watching the gentle breeze tease Jenna’s hair and letting himself enjoy the moment, pushing all of the other stresses to the back of his mind. Even knowing to do so was risky, he imagined living here with Steve, a family of four. It’d be nice to have a partner, someone not just to help shoulder the load but to share in the good times as well, another adult to celebrate when Jenna succeeded in conquering one of her fears or when Grace brought home one of her works of art.

Eventually, though, he reminded himself that Steve was the guy who had meaningless sex with friends. Sure, he’d stepped up with the girls, doing way more than Danny had ever expected, but it was one thing to have them temporarily, totally another to know that things were going to be that way forever.

Danny wasn’t sure that Steve had thought that far ahead. Danny knew he wasn’t bad looking, but he also knew that he wasn’t anywhere close to Steve’s league. The man was a dark haired god with ridiculous eyelashes and a smile that could make a person lose their train of thought. Danny was short, loud, with hair that he had to tame with a variety of products. He wasn’t anywhere near Steve’s CEO status; sure, Steve hadn’t really worked his way up to the position, but Danny had no doubt that he was good at his job. Danny knew he was good at his job too, but it had come with hard work, learning from his mistakes, and fighting every day to keep his head above water.

And now Victor Hesse, who’d been in the background all this time, manipulating Danny’s life without Danny’s even knowing of his existence, managed to shake the fragile balance of Danny’s world with the ease of one simple visit.

Danny stared at the papers in front of him, wondering if all of this work he was doing were a waste of time. If Hesse had his way, Danny would be unemployed with a shop he couldn’t reopen without making it a completely new store – and he was certain to have to pay Boone some sort of penalties. He knew that Steve was working on it, and if he had to have anyone in his corner, he’d want Steve. However, Steve didn’t know the whole story, and Danny wasn’t really keen on telling him. He knew he probably would have to explain the whole situation eventually, but he hoped he was due a little miracle.

In the meantime, his shop was still open, and he had payroll and bills to pay, accounts to balance, deposits to log, and wayward suppliers to put back into line.

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Steve hung up, leaning back in the desk chair with a sigh. He’d been on teleconferences and meetings all morning, finally ending the East Coast workday with a lengthy conversation with his father about Danny’s situation – evidently, his dad had decided to hear him and Victor out separately. Steve hadn’t expected his father to take his side just because he was his son, but he’d hoped that the past two years of practically running the company while his dad was recuperating would’ve stood for something. Even though his dad hadn’t said it out loud, his tone suggested that the elder McGarrett was leaning toward taking Hesse’s side. He was talking around it, but Steve had seen this countless times as he grew up. Steve had rarely won in the past, though he’d never had so much to lose – or gain – before now.

Wondering how Danny was faring, he walked into the kitchen with his empty green smoothie glass and drained water bottle. He refilled the water bottle, idly listening as Danny paced in the living room with his cell phone to his ear, alternating between berating and cajoling what sounded like one of his distributers. He smiled around his glass as Danny told the person to “cut the bullshit”. It totally explained why he was in the living room while Jenna sat out on the lanai, the glass door between them firmly closed.

As he listened, Steve’s admiration of Danny’s skill grew. He’d seen Danny interact with customers, handle the shop with expertise, but he now realized that he hadn’t really considered the amount of business acumen Danny had to employ to keep his small shop running smoothly. Sure, he could only afford one employee and could barely pay that person minimum wage, but he’d had to negotiate all of his own supply rates, without the power of the Boone name backing him. He’d done it all on his own, and listening to him, Steve was impressed all over again. Danny was inspiring, and his skill made him that much more attractive.

Their aborted conversation entered Steve’s mind. He’d had to push it back all morning so he could concentrate on his work, but now he took it out and looked it over.

He understood what Catherine and Danny were trying to tell him, that Danny was a commitment type of guy. They both seemed to think that Steve wasn’t interested in commitment when the truth was, Steve didn’t have the experience to make an informed decision. He’d committed to the Navy for over thirteen years. They’d prepared him well in Annapolis, and he knew what was expected of him.

However, romantic entanglements were filled with dark corners and potential landmines, and he never felt comfortable trying to navigate his way through them. He supposed psychologists would look into his mother’s death and his father’s emotional and physical distance for answers, but the fact of the matter was, Steve had never felt the need to make the effort to learn. He’d found women, and occasionally men, who understood how to separate their physical needs from their emotional ones. They remained friends even when the physical side of their relationships changed.

But Danny was different. His compact body somehow managed to house, but not contain, a heart that grabbed hold of everything around him. He felt everything, cared about everything. He was devoted to his friends and family and wouldn’t hesitate to do anything he could to help them. Danny was devoted father, dedicated shop owner, steadfast friend. He was the living embodiment of the word commitment.

Maybe Steve was being selfish. He knew he was attracted to Danny and enjoyed spending time with him. But what did he know about long term? He was growing attached to Danny’s little girls, but was he capable of being there for them for more than a few weeks or a couple of months? 

The front door slammed, and Grace’s running entrance forced him out of his thoughts. He found his legs enveloped by a grinning six-year-old. “I had a great day, Uncle Steve! They had pizza for lunch and Bobby got into trouble for putting gum in Sheila’s hair and he wasn’t supposed to have the gum in the first place and Sheila cried because she always talks about how her hair is better than everyone else’s because it’s blonde and now it’s going to have to get cut really short.”

She stopped to take a breath, and Steve jumped into the opening. “That sounds like an exciting day. How about a snack before you start your homework?”

“Let me go say hi to Danno. Has Jenna had her snack yet?”

“Danno’s on the phone in the living room. Why don’t you wave at him, and grab Jenna from the lanai. Bring her in here, and I’ll put something together you both . Sound good?”

Grace nodded enthusiastically and tore across the room with a, “Hey, Danno!” before jerking open the lanai doors.

Chin chuckled, walking into the room.

“Wow,” Steve said, a little shocked as he washed his hands. “Did she breathe on the way here or spend the entire trip talking?”

“She had to wear her helmet, so I was lucky. One of the benefits of riding a motorcycle,” Chin said. “How’s Danny?”

“He’s been reaming his distributors for a while, so I think he’s doing better,” Steve said, waving Chin to a chair. “There’s no question where Gracie gets her lung capacity.”

“I thought you’d be all over him to make sure he was doing his exercises and taking his meds,” Chin said.

“We kind of had a thing this morning, so we’ve been staying out of each other’s hair,” Steve admitted, slicing up some oranges and putting them in two bowls. He added some fresh pineapple chunks and set the bowls on the table.

“A fight?”

“No, more like an unfinished conversation.”

The girls entered, sitting down and happily eating their snacks while Steve walked Chin outside.

“So, does this unfinished conversation have something to do with your and Catherine’s friends with benefits thing and Danny’s unwillingness to join in with the free love?”

“How did you kn – it’s not free love,” Steve protested.

“Danny’s a keeper,” Chin said, unperturbed. “Unless you aren’t interested?” His tone made it clear that he knew that wasn’t the case. He took advantage of Steve’s pause and added, “It’s none of my business.”

“You’re ohana,” Steve dismissed, actually grateful that he had someone to help him hash it through. “Danny’s all about commitment.”

“And you’re more of a casual kind of guy?” Chin asked.

“I’ve never really thought about long term,” Steve explained. “As a SEAL, I knew I was going into dangerous situations, so I concentrated on the here and now. And then after dad had his heart attack, I took over, but you know dad. He wasn’t going to let that stop him from going back to work.”

“So what’s the problem: that you’ve never been in a committed relationship or that you don’t want one?”

Steve stared across the street at Mrs. Kopeleki working in the flower garden in her front yard. “What if I try it, and I can’t do it?”

“Can’t do what?”

“Commitment.”

“Let me ask you something. Have you ever had this problem before?”

Steve didn’t understand. “Which problem?”

Chin chuckled. “This worry that you won’t be able to commit to someone.”

“It’s never been an issue before,” Steve admitted.

Chin smiled gently at Steve. “Maybe the reason why you’ve never committed is because you’ve never found someone you wanted to commit to.”

“But it’s not just him. I’ve already made mistakes with the girls; what do I know about being a parent?”

“As far as I can tell, whatever mistakes you made didn’t do irreparable damage, and you’re fooling yourself if you think that there’s such a thing as a perfect parent. Danny never grew up without a permanent family, yet he’s managed to create one on his own. I think that it’s about faith – and determination. And you have both of those in spades. So perhaps the question is, do you want to focus those on Danny and his daughters? Once you figure that out, you’ll have your answer.” He clapped Steve on the shoulder and straddled his bike. “But you need to make a decision. Danny and the girls deserve to have someone they can count on.”

Absently, Steve returned to the kitchen where Danny sat between the girls, their heads together as they laughed. He walked in, seeing all of their happy faces turn toward him, and that’s when he realized what he wanted.

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Danny chuckled at a bad joke Gracie had learned at school and looked up to find Steve staring at them, bemused smile on his own face. His expression as he looked at them made Danny want to reach out and draw him into their small circle. But he knew that it would be sending a message to the girls, which wasn’t fair while Steve was still working out what he wanted.

“Time for homework,” Danny said. “Thank Uncle Steve for the snack, and then you can do it outside.”

The girls thanked Steve, each giving his waist a big hug before heading out to the lanai, Grace pulling her backpack behind her.

Danny waited until they’d closed the door and were settling into their chairs before he took the bowls to the sink. He stood there a moment, trying to collect his thoughts, before saying quietly, “I wasn’t one of those kids who went to bed every night praying for a family. I’ve always been the kind of guy who just takes life as it comes and makes the best of it.” He finally looked over at Steve who’d sat down at the table and was watching him attentively. “But I do know what I want and what those girls need.” He couldn’t help running his eyes over Steve’s chest. “I can’t let them get attached to someone who can’t commit to us. But it doesn’t mean that we can’t be friends,” he added hastily, knowing that he’d rarely hear from Steve once the former SEAL did his best to fix Danny’s problems and resumed his easy life back in Washington, DC. Danny didn’t have an issue with the girls learning that friendships took all sorts of forms, and sometimes your friends moved away and out of your life. He felt a pang when he thought about that with Steve, but he pushed it down.

“Just because I haven’t made a commitment before doesn’t mean I don’t want to,” Steve said slowly, as if he were thinking about each word before he said it.

“I’m not here to force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”

“That’s just it. I want to try, but I’m worried – ” Steve’s eyes shot to the girls outside.

“You’re worried that it won’t work, and you’ll hurt the girls,” Danny said.

Steve nodded, looking worried.

“Look, maybe we’re just making too much of this,” Danny said, forcing himself to keep his voice light. “You’re going to be returning to DC soon, but we’re still gonna be here. I can’t imagine that I’ll have much time for sexting or whatever the kids are calling it nowadays, and you’re going to return to your old life. So maybe we should just leave it like this. Friends.” He tried to smile, but it felt forced.

Fortunately, Steve seemed to be so deep in thought that he didn’t seem to notice. He sighed, nodded. “Okay. Friends.”

Danny clapped Steve on the shoulder and headed out to the lanai, his heart telling him that friendship was the coward’s way out. But his mind reminded him that he had two little girls who deserved to have someone permanent in their lives. Danny wasn’t sure if he’d ever find someone willing to take them on, but he figured they were doing okay just the three of them. It would’ve been nice to have someone standing beside him, but the girls were really all he needed. Maybe if he continued to tell himself that, he’d eventually believe it.

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Steve didn’t want to be friends. Well, he wanted to be more than friends. And he wanted to try this relationship thing. But Danny had made good points. Steve’s home was in DC, and he didn’t want to hurt the girls.

But he still wanted Danny.

The logical part of him was telling him to let it go, that it didn’t make sense, that their lives didn’t fit together. But another part of him, the part that had kept him alive doing things he wasn’t cleared to talk about, refused to believe that there wasn’t a way to work everything out.

His phone rang, and he looked at the screen, sighing when he read the caller’s name. “Hey, Dad.”


	22. Chapter 22

Danny hated sand so very, very much. The little grains got into places they had no place being, sticking around for days afterward. They were uncomfortable, digging at him from hidden places underneath his clothes. But as much as he hated sand, he loved his little girls more, and that was why he was sitting on his ass on Steve’s private beach, helping them make a sandcastle. Not just any sandcastle, he reminded himself with a smile, “the holy momma of sandcastles”, as Grace described it when she’d asked him to help after she’d finished her homework.

He caught Steve pacing just inside the door, obviously unhappy with the conversation he was having on the phone, and he wondered if it had something to do with him.

Forcing himself to refocus on the girls, he reminded himself that he’d vowed a long time ago to be present with them, mentally, as well as physically, when they were doing things together. He knew that all too quickly Grace was going to be too old to want her dad around, and he was going to have to be happy with his memories. Plus, he wanted her to have those memories too.

Eventually, Steve joined them, grabbing Jenna to help him bolster their castle’s “weak” defenses by deepening and widening the moat and adding all sorts of complicated turrets and things, turning their classic castle into something from a sci-fi movie. Steve just smiled at him, that little grin that caused Danny’s stomach to flutter a bit, and told Jenna to dig a little deeper.

Mary appeared a bit later, beer in hand, striding up to the sandcastle and giving it a critical look. “I can totally see Steve’s hand in this,” she muttered. “It’s not very homey is it?”

“You won’t be able to get into it without some serious recon, a simultaneous sea and land assault, and maybe an inside man,” Steve pointed out proudly, and Danny couldn’t stop his smile at the goof.

“That’s fantastic,” Mary said, her voice so over the top with enthusiasm that it was obviously fake. “What’s for dinner?”

After a simple pasta and chicken dish Danny had cobbled together, he took the girls upstairs for their baths and read a few stories to them before it was time for lights out. He turned to find Steve standing in the doorway, nodding and holding up a finger when Steve tilted his head toward the hallway. He picked up the books from the foot of the bed, grabbed some shorts and a t-shirt, and followed Steve, shifting the books around his clothes. He held one up. “Jenna’s favorite.” He held up the second. “Grace’s favorite.”

Steve pulled the third one, well worn, from his hand and flipped it open. “What about this one?”

“I’m not allowed to have a favorite too?” Danny asked, smiling, before reaching out and touching one of the pages. “It’s the first story I remember ever reading. Obviously, this isn’t the exact book –” that one was packed up high in the apartment, away from small hands, “ – but it’s the same story.”

Danny liked the way Steve’s eyes softened as he closed the book, pressing his palm against it like it meant something to him.

Steve studied the cover. “Max by Rachel Isadora,” he said, flipping through it. “You’ll have to read it to me sometime.” He grinned. “Do you do voices?”

“Gimme that,” Danny muttered, snatching the book back but unable to keep himself from smiling.

“You’re not heading back out to the hammock, are you?” Steve asked, gesturing toward Danny’s clothes.

“I’m not coordinated enough to sleep on that all night without needing another trip to the hospital,” Danny said, ignoring the pressure on his chest that had begun around the second story.

“Look, it’s a full house, but my bed is huge,” Steve offered again. “I promise to keep my hands to myself.”

Danny didn’t want to admit that of the two of them, Steve was the one who’d probably had more experience with discipline.

“We’re friends, right?” Steve’s smile said he knew he had Danny in a corner. He led the way into the bedroom, pointing toward a door. “The bathroom’s in there.”

Danny changed quickly and folded his clothes, then stood behind the door, biting his nail and trying not to wheeze too loudly. He felt like he spent half his time trying to find where he’d put his spirometer. At first he’d thought he wasn’t paying attention, then he caught Jenna earlier that day, giggling behind her hand, trying to sneak it out of the kitchen. But he couldn’t blame Jenna for the fact that every four hours he seemed to find himself never able to coordinate having his spirometer in hand while also finding someplace private. And here he was, once again with a good location but without the spirometer. Not only would it stop his wheezing, but it would give him a little more time to come to grips with the fact that he was going to try to sleep in the same bed as Steve. His friend.

Knocking at the door, Steve called quietly, “You okay in there?”

“I’ll be out in a minute,” Danny promised.

“You sounded a little wheezy, so I got your spirometer.”

Danny melted a bit at the unfamiliar feeling of someone worried about him, paying enough attention to notice something small like a change in his breathing, not to mention taking the initiative to help him.

Kono was a good friend, and she needled him about his health, his eating and sleeping patterns. But that same behavior felt different coming from Steve. 

Danny cracked open the door to find Steve leaning casually against the frame, spirometer hanging loosely from his hand. 

“Thanks,” Danny said, taking the breathing apparatus.

“No big deal,” Steve said. “Any of it. We’re just going to be sleeping.”

“I know,” Danny said, feeling like Steve could see right through him. He closed the door, sat on the toilet seat, and started to tap on his chest, wondering how he was going to keep his hands to himself through the night.

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Steve spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to figure out a way to make things less uncomfortable for Danny. Normally, he’d just wear his boxers, if that, but he’d thrown on one pair of the sleep pants he kept for cooler nights and visitors. After debating way too long, he finally just grew impatient and pulled on a t-shirt. It felt a little strange being so dressed, but he wasn’t stupid enough to think that Danny in his bed wouldn’t be a temptation. Feeling Danny against his bare chest might prove to be more than he could handle.

He’d debated on the lighting, not wanting complete darkness but thinking that leaving one light on made the room feel too intimate. Turning on the overhead felt too bright, and one of them would have to walk to the door to turn it off. Eventually he decided on the lamp.

He lay on his side of the bed, but it felt even more intimate given the lighting, and the last thing he wanted was to spook Danny and have the man sleeping somewhere on the floor. No, he wanted Danny in his bed, and if he had to keep his hands to himself to get him there, then so be it.

He tried standing next to the bed, but that seemed forced; sitting on the bed with his feet on the floor felt awkward. Eventually, feeling ridiculous, he got in bed, pulling the blankets over his hips. He grabbed one of his work folders and leaned against the headboard as he went through a contract, already knowing that he was going to have to go through it again when his mind wasn’t focused on the solid, sexy blond on the other side of his bathroom door.

Eventually, Danny emerged, looking a little nervous, obviously trying to pretend that it wasn’t a big deal. Steve thought he looked adorable but chose to keep that thought to himself. He couldn’t help but give Danny a quick once-over, appreciating the way Danny’s t-shirt spread tight over his wide chest. His boxers showed off his impressively powerful looking thighs, and Steve had to force himself to refocus on the papers on his lap to regain control. After a moment, he returned his attention to Danny. “How’d it go?” He asked, tapping at his chest.

Danny shrugged. “I think your doctor friend will be impressed enough to let me go home tomorrow.”

Steve knew that Danny was anxious to return to his life, but he liked having Danny and the girls in his home. With a nod, he made a noncommittal sound and waited for Danny to climb into bed. After a second, when Danny was still standing awkwardly on the side of the bed, Steve asked, "Am I on your side?"

Danny gave a half smile before sliding under the covers. “My bed at home’s so small, there’s only one side.” He lay flat on his back, his hands on his chest as he looked at the ceiling.

Steve tossed the folder on the night table, and stretched, trying to make everything feel casual, hoping it would relax Danny. He turned off the light, leaving them in the moonlight as he slid lower and rolled onto toward Danny.

Danny rolled over to his side as well and lay in uncharacteristic silence, his arms under his head, as he stared at Steve in the moonlight. He looked beautiful, the tips of his hair glowing.

Steve couldn’t stop himself from reaching out, feeling the scratchy stubble against his palm. He smiled faintly as Danny pressed against it, rubbing his cheek against Steve’s palm.

It felt natural, right, to slide over slowly, his eyes never leaving Danny’s, and press their lips together. He kept it chaste, although this simple kiss was enough to send his heart racing.

“Mmm,” Danny said, which was enough to send Steve back for another taste.

Seconds, minutes later they finally came up for air, Steve pressing his lips against Danny’s forehead before he forced himself to push back slightly. He smiled faintly as Danny groaned and leaned toward him. “You keep moving over here, and all bets are off.” He hoped his voice didn’t sound as hoarse to Danny as it did to him.

“Sorry, sorry,” Danny whispered.

“I’m not,” Steve said, sighing as he rolled over onto his back and threw an arm over his eyes, his breath still not under control.

After a minute, he heard Danny whisper, “Me either.”

He smiled as closed his eyes and eventually fell asleep.

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The next day, Steve drove Danny and Jenna to Dr. Malajandro’s office, where Danny was doing well enough for the doctor to let him return to work. Danny felt torn. On one hand, he was happy to be getting back to work, regaining control over his shop once again, bringing his and his girls’ lives back into some semblance of order. On the other hand, Steve’s house had somehow become home in the short time he’d spent there. The girls got to spend time outside – Jenna’s pink cheeks and the healthy tan she’d developed proved that it had been good for her – and they’d loved dipping their toes in the ocean and making sandcastles.

He grabbed his spirometer and clothes from Steve’s bathroom, pausing to stare at the bed. Steve had spoken the truth; he’d kept his hands to himself. Of course, his lips had been another matter. Danny felt his face warm as he remembered the press of Steve’s warm, smooth lips against his. He felt a little embarrassed at the needy sounds he’d made, but Steve hadn’t seemed to mind.

He’d awakened in the middle of the night and realized that he’d missed this so much, the feel of another warm body against his. If he pushed back a little and enjoyed the feel of Steve’s arms tightening around him, Steve snuffling against his ear, he didn’t have to admit it to anyone. 

After one last, longing look at the room, he forced himself to leave.

He stood in the bedroom where the girls had been sleeping, making one last sweep. He checked under the bed, smiling as he heard Steve’s voice and Jenna’s giggle from downstairs. Staring at the empty bed, sheets already shoved into the washing machine, Danny sighed and left the room.

Three hours later, they finally walked into the shop. They’d made a detour to surprise Grace by picking her up at school, and then Steve suggested that they have an early dinner out before he dropped them off. Danny knew he should’ve made at least a token protest, but he found himself guarding the little time he knew he had left with Steve, trying to commit everything to memory so that he could play it back late at night while he was lying alone in his bed.

Catherine’s relieved smile and enthusiastic hug made him grin, and she introduced him to the twin cousins who were working that day. It took Danny a second to realize that while they both wore their straight black hair long and had beautiful delicate features, only one was female. They were polite and efficient, quickly returning to a surprising number of customers for the time of day.

“Business is better than I remember,” Danny mused, watching the twins navigate behind the counter with a finesse that he knew he lacked. It took a few more seconds before he realized that at least half of the customers looked Native Hawaiian. He’d met some of Chin and Kono’s family, but no one looked familiar, which left one other person. “Kamekona.”

“He hasn’t admitted to anything, but I think he’s put the word out,” Catherine explained.

“Coconut wireless,” one of the twins said before launching into a foreign language.

Steve responded, getting a smile as the twin’s attention returned to a customer.

Danny gave him a look, and Steve laughed.

“Pidgin,” Steve explained.

“You haven’t been here in years but of course you’re fluent in pidgin,” Danny muttered.

Steve shrugged. “I was pretty good with it before I left the islands, and I guess some of it stuck.”

“Of course it did,” Danny said wryly. He turned to find that Grace and Jenna had automatically taken seats at their table. Grace pulled out her homework, and Jenna took out one of her worksheets. He was thankful that they were taking the changes so well and wished he were so resilient. Returning his focus to Catherine, he raised his hands filled with their bags. “Let me take this stuff upstairs, and I’ll be right back down to relieve you.” He climbed the stairs quickly, taking a little time to put some items away while he brought his breath under control.

“You took those stairs a little too fast,” Steve said, entering the small apartment a few seconds behind him. “You’re wheezing again.”

“It’s all good,” Danny said, waving the inhaler he’d pulled out of his pocket before giving himself a large burst. The burning pain shot down his throat and into his chest and had to bend over, hands on knees, until the feeling became bearable. Eventually he felt a warmth on his back and opened his eyes to find Steve kneeling beside him, concern in his eyes. “Sorry. Burned a little.”

Steve pulled out his phone, pulling his hand away from Danny’s back and leaving it cold.

“Who – ” Danny cleared his voice and tried again. “Who’re you callin’?”

“Malajandro,” Steve said, scrolling through his contacts.

“No,” Danny tried to pry the phone from Steve’s fingers. “It’s okay. I’m feeling better already.”

Steve didn’t loosen his grasp. “It won’t hurt to make sure that you have the right prescription.”

“Your buddy told me that it might happen.”

Steve rolled his eyes but only said, “I don’t remember that.” Malia had taken Jenna to breakfast while they went for Danny’s checkup, Steve planting his feet and crossing his arms just in front of the door, obviously not intending to move.

Danny didn’t mind, so he just huffed a little at Steve’s ridiculous stance as he hopped up on the exam table and let the nurse run him through the familiar tests before wheeling him out for the others. He’d run into Dr. Malajandro on his way back to the examination room, where the doctor had assured him that if the test results came back favorable, he’d get an inhaler. “I know it’ll pain you to hear this, but he and I actually had a conversation without you,” Danny now told Steve. “Don’t worry; it was only when we ran into each other right after my chest x-ray, and it barely lasted a minute.”

“He said you’d be wracked with searing pain right after your first hit?”

“Okay, I’m going to ignore the part of that that sounded like I’m getting some sort of fix and just say,’yes he did’. Well,” Danny amended, “he actually said that ‘it might burn like the dickens’, but I think we can both do the translation.” Danny stood slowly, breathing shallowly, testing it out. It didn’t hurt anymore, and he smiled faintly at Steve. “See? All better.” He felt his smile falter when Steve pressed a hand against Danny’s chest, staring at it like it held all of the answers. He wanted to say something flip, but the words wouldn’t come.

“Seeing you passed out on the floor like that scared me so much,” Steve whispered, his focus still on Danny’s chest.

“Sorry,” Danny whispered.

Steve leaned in, burying his nose in Danny’s neck.

“Hey, hey, that can’t be comfortable,” Danny said, even as his arms raised and encircled Steve. He smiled as Steve hugged him back, squeezing so tightly that Danny could swear he could feel Steve’s rapid heartbeat through the thin material of Steve’s black t-shirt. “Babe, I’m okay. I promise.” He pressed his cheek against Steve’s, feeling the unfamiliar scratch of stubble, the warmth of Steve’s breath after an exhalation. He couldn’t help but close his eyes and enjoy the feeling of being held, wrapped up tight in strong arms. He tried to commit everything the memory: the strong, heavy strength in Steve’s arms, the warmth of their bodies pressed together, the mixture of sun and sand and sweat that smelled like Steve.

Eventually, Steve pulled back, and Danny immediately missed his warmth. But he didn’t go far, just back enough so they could look into each other’s eyes.

What Danny saw made his heart beat faster, and he couldn’t look away. Rachel had looked at him with love but never with such want and need and passion. And heaven help him, Danny had never felt the strength of so much from himself. He opened his mouth to speak, although he had no idea what he was going to say, when suddenly Steve’s mouth was against his, and the firm pressure shoved all reasonable thought aside. All that he could handle were the sensations of Steve pressed against him. He barely noticed Steve’s gently pushing him until he fell backwards onto the sofa.

“That’s better,” Steve whispered, climbing on top of him.

“The Army taught you well,” Danny teased.

“Navy,” Steve corrected, grinding against Danny, making Danny gasp. “It was the Navy.”

Danny tried to come up with a witty reply, but all he could do was groan and shift as their erections rubbed against each other. He grabbed the back of Steve’s head and brought him down for a dirty, wet, openmouthed kiss, the kind he liked best, filled with hot breaths and deep, filthy sounds. 

Steve pulled away, a look of concern in his eyes. “Your lungs – ”

“I’m breathing perfectly fine,” Danny insisted, pulling Steve down for another deep kiss as he decided that this was the best feeling ever.

And then Steve shoved a hand down Danny’s pants, curling around him hot and firm, and Danny changed his mind. This was the best feeling ever.

“Come for me,” Steve said, more of a breath than a sound, and Danny almost obeyed him. Almost.

“Not yet,” Danny managed to moan, shifting just enough to slide his own shaking hand down Steve’s pants, making Steve groan into his mouth. “You first.”

“Challenge,” Steve gasped, “accepted.”

Inside his head, he rolled his eyes, but at the moment Danny wasn’t capable of making a snarky comment about Steve’s competitive inclinations. A twist of Steve’s wrist, and the thought shot clear out of Danny’s mind.

And then Danny realized he was a little competitive himself, trying to tamp down the rising orgasm just long enough to get Steve off first.

They came at the same time, Danny’s eyes closing as his orgasm tore through his body. He might have blanked out for a few seconds, opening his eyes to find Steve still resting over him, now balanced on his forearms on either side of Danny’s head. He was breathing just as hard as Danny, Danny was happy to notice.

After a few seconds, allowing himself to enjoy his forehead pressed against Steve’s as they regained their breath, Danny said, “I hope Catherine wasn’t in a hurry.”

Steve laughed so hard he rolled right off the sofa.


	23. Chapter 23

“Took you long enough,” Catherine said, her eyes telling Steve she had some idea of what had delayed them.

Ignoring the warmth in his cheeks, Steve simply smiled and walked over to the girls. He kissed them both on the foreheads and said goodbye, then waved at the cousins behind the counter. He waited patiently for Catherine to finish hugging Danny, but eventually it wasn’t really funny anymore, and he pried the two apart, pulling Catherine out of the shop with a little wave and a smile to Danny. Danny’s responding smile and wave made him want to forget about everyone and drag Danny back upstairs. 

 

As he drove Catherine back to the house, Steve found himself already missing the Williams clan. He enjoyed hearing about Grace’s day, listening to what Jenna learned or found particularly exciting, watching Danny’s love for them shine through every word. And they’d shared their world with him, inviting him into a family that he hadn’t felt since his mom died. It’d felt right, being with them like that. Once he’d gotten rid of his fears that he might not have what it took, he realized that he wanted this. He wanted to wake up every morning with Danny beside him, wanted to get Grace and Jenna ready for their day. He wanted to eat meals with them, take them to the beach and to plays and the zoo. He wanted to be there to patch up their boo boos. He didn’t particularly like the idea of disciplining them, but he was all for giving them hugs afterwards, like Danny always did with them. He just figured Danny could be the bad cop, and he could be the good cop. He could make sure it was worth Danny’s while afterward, something that would be enjoyable for both of them.

“Hello?” Catherine’s tone told him that she’d been trying to get his attention for a while.

“Sorry, what were you saying?”

“I was asking if you’d drive me to the airport. I need to be there in about four hours, just enough time for me to lay out one more time before I go.”

“Sure. You’ve tanned really well,” he said, giving her a quick once over before returning his attention to the road.

“Not that you’ve noticed,” she said, softening her words with a smile.

Steve smiled back. “I really appreciate your help with all of this.”

“It’s what friends do,” Catherine said. “Plus, I think Danny’s creations could be really good for the company. Losing him would be a mistake.”

“Dad called me. He’s scheduling another meeting to discuss everything.”

“You need to be there in person?”

Steve nodded. “I was planning on flying back for it even before he said he wanted me there. I still don’t trust Victor.”

“I know what you mean. I can’t figure out where he and Danny could’ve crossed paths. He gives the East Coast visits to one of his directors and takes care of the West Coast himself, so he never even visited the shop where Danny worked in New Jersey.”

“We’re missing something,” Steve mused.

“What did Danny say?”

Steve shook his head. “He just mumbled something and changed the subject.” Steve hadn’t asked Danny outright, but the hints had been obvious, and Danny was a smart man. His refusal to answer made Steve even more curious, but Danny got that look on his face, the one that said he wasn’t going to talk any more about it, and Steve backed away. The last thing he’d wanted was to get Danny upset, making him relapse and sending him back into the hospital.

“So, how’s it going between the two of you otherwise?”

Steve shrugged. He didn’t want to make any kind of commitment until he was able to get Victor off Danny’s back and figure out his own future in the company. Danny and the girls didn’t deserve empty promises.

“Did you decide you finally want to be a family?”

Steve knew if he could make that happen, he’d truly be a happy man.

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Danny got back to work more relaxed and rested since way before he moved to Hawaii. It felt strange having to learn how to use the cash register and espresso machine from sixteen year olds, but he loved the fact that he could just press a button for an espresso shot instead of having to time his own. The amount of money he was going to save in coffee beans was worth however much he was going to have to pay Catherine back for the two machines. He appreciated that they were obviously used, but they were in good enough condition that he knew he was going to be sending her money for quite a long time.

The girls seemed happy to be back too, although Danny knew they were going to start asking about Uncle Steve and his beach soon enough. He hoped it was later rather than sooner, because he wasn’t sure what he was going to tell them.

Problem was, he didn’t have any answers himself. He didn’t regret their ridiculously hot session upstairs, although watching Steve trying to clean himself up afterwards was pretty hilarious. He just didn’t want to read too much into it nor examine it too closely, because he didn’t have time for unrequited anything right now.

They fell back into their routine easily, Danny sending the girls upstairs to get ready for bed as he said goodbye to the Kamekona cousins and finished cleaning up. He grimaced as he shifted a few things back to their original locations but knew in addition to paying her back for the espresso machine and cash register, he really had to figure out some way to thank Catherine for keeping the place up and running. Something free, he snorted, because now he was going to have to figure out how to pay one extra person as well as whatever attorney he found to help him keep the shop – and Steve may have thought he was being clever, but Danny kept track of his money and knew how much he owed the other man for the payroll he’d funded himself.

Danny lay in bed after putting the girls to bed, but he couldn’t sleep. He felt itchy inside, restless. He thought longingly of Steve’s comfortable bed, of Steve’s comfortable arms, and sighed. “It was one damn night.” How could he be nostalgic over something that had only happened one night? He punched his pillow and turned over, willing himself to get the sleep he knew he’d need for the next day.

 

It felt like old times, Danny thought as he walked down the stairs to check on his pretzels and found Steve pouring himself a cup of coffee. Smiling despite himself, he asked, “What are you doing here?”

“That’s a fine welcome,” Steve said, grinning back at him as he returned the carafe.

“You don’t have to keep up the pretense now,” Danny reminded him.

Steve turned to him, smile gone. “I enjoyed working here with you,” he said.

“Don’t you have stuff to do with your other job? You know, your real one?” Danny knew he was being snarky, but he couldn’t seem to help himself.

“Actually, I have to fly back tonight,” Steve said, suddenly avoiding Danny’s eyes.

An unexpected sharp pang ran through Danny. He’d known it was going to happen, so he shouldn’t have been surprised.

“I figured I’d come in, help you out for a few hours.”

One last hurrah, Danny thought bitterly. He supposed he should thank Steve, but he wasn’t feeling very thankful at the moment. “Just let me know where to send your last paycheck,” he said, turning back to the kitchen. “You can leave the key on the counter on your way out,” he called out, ignoring that Steve would have to leave the door open as he left.

“Danny.”

He kept going, fighting against the burning of the stupid tears underneath his eyelids.

“Danny.”

He was reaching for the mixing bowls when Steve’s arm grabbed him by the wrist and whipped him around. “What the fuck, Steve!” The anger was preferable to Danny’s earlier familiar feelings of abandonment.

Steve shoved him against the oven, the warmth on his back only adding to Danny’s anger. “Danny, listen to me.”

“What, Steve? What? You want some sort of teary goodbye? Or maybe you want us to lie to each other, promise to stay in touch? Which goodbye do you want? I’ve done ‘em all.” He saw a sadness emerge in Steve’s eyes and grew even angrier. “Don’t even. I don’t want or need your fucking pity, all right? Since you gotta go, then go!”

Still holding on to Danny’s wrist, Steve stepped closer, and Danny found his throat closing, his ire doused like water over a flame. Steve bent, nuzzling Danny neck, and Danny hated that he couldn’t stop himself for leaning his head back, giving Steve better access.

“I’m not leaving forever,” the promise whispered against Danny's neck. Steve finally stepped back to look Danny in his eyes. “I’ll be back.”

Danny snorted, wishing he could believe it, but he knew an empty promise when he heard one, and he had firsthand knowledge about how good intentions fell flat.

Steve released Danny’s hand, and Danny let his hand drop to his side. Giving Danny a small smile, Steve walked toward the swinging doors. He paused for a moment, spearing Danny with an intense gaze. “You’ve made me feel a lot of things, but never pity.”

And with that, he was gone.

 

For the next month Danny trudged along, trying to return to his routine. Outwardly, he thought he was doing a pretty good job, incorporating Kamekona’s twin cousins, Keilana and Kekona, into his plans. Catherine had trained them well on the front line, which allowed Danny to focus on baking while they took care of the customers. Even though they were only seventeen – able to work due to homeschooling – they were remarkably reliable, polite, and unfazed by some of the more creative customer requests. Of course, it also helped that they brought with them a revolving door of family members who seemed to have developed a sudden love of pretzels and coffee. The additional income helped pay for the second person, and he was actually able to take the girls to the park and could go to both the bank and the grocery store in one trip.

The girls loved the twins, fascinated by the challenge of trying to tell them apart. Danny’d given up after the third day, concentrating on just pronouncing their names correctly. He figured that the girls would’ve figured out their differences by the time he had that mastered, and then they could help him.

The twins treated Grace and Jenna like two more cousins, giving them time and attention without making Jenna feel like she was different, earning them Danny’s instant devotion.

The biggest problem was that the twins tended to talk in a combination of twin-speak and Hawaiian Pidgin. At first he thought he was the only one who had a difficult time understanding them, but he occasionally caught their family members also having trouble, making him feel less stupid when he tried to talk to the pair.

So outwardly, life was good, though inwardly, Danny was still a mess. After all of his bluster and his anger, he realized that he was still that same schlub who fell in love, only to be left. Again. He tried to console himself that at least Steve hadn’t been pregnant or left him for someone else, but it was difficult to pretend late at night when he was tossing in his cold bed.

He’d had two more follow-ups with Malajandro before the doctor trusted him enough to take care of himself. He’d had to smile at the way the doctor’d seemed put off when he’d learned that Steve had returned to the mainland. The rest of the Malajandro clan stopped by the shop, and true to his word, Danny gave them all free pretzels, including one to go for the doctor.

He’d had to sit down when he got the bill for his hospital stay, then took a deep breath and crawled behind his desk to figure out where he could find the money for monthly payments.

Mary stopped by, as did Chin and Malia and Kono. He could tell that they were all checking on him, although Mary was the only one who made it obvious.

“You still look like crap,” she’d told him on her first visit after he’d informed her that he was much better.

“Thanks so much,” Danny said, glaring at her.

“I’m not sure which one of you looks worse. Steve – ”

Danny turned on his heel and walked away.

Unfortunately, it took Mary quite a few attempts at bringing up her brother before finally figuring out that Danny wasn’t going to talk about him. At first she tried following him around, and he’d had to yell that only employees were allowed in the kitchen. Of course, she ignored him, so he took to shoving a pretzel in her mouth every time he heard, “St – ”

Finally, she turned her head away and shouted, “I’m trying to tell you to stop! I’m not saying St –”

Danny shoved the rest of the pretzel in her mouth and walked away.

After that, she glared at him and sat coloring with the girls, refusing to talk him, which was what he’d wanted in the first place.

While he didn’t like her trying to force the Steve issue, he did appreciate the time and consideration she took with the girls. He wouldn’t have imagined that she was capable of being so reliable, and while he still wouldn’t leave her alone with them, Danny knew that anyone who loved his girls was really okay in his book.

He’d received a few letters, one officially telling him that he could keep the store open for the moment, another letting him know that his status was pending, yet another attached to the first of many boxes containing all of the signage, forms, documentation, aprons, caps, and uniform shirts that he’d requested throughout the years – he’d even gotten cards for the pineapple and peanut butter and jelly pretzels. He’d washed and packed away the aprons Steve said he had gotten from his old store. He’d told Danny that back when he’d still been lying about who he was, so Danny wasn’t quite sure if the old store had indeed been where Steve had gotten them. As much as part of him wanted to do it, he refused to call Steve’s office and ask. He hid the original food cards Steve had given him in a baggie in a desk drawer.

He knew he was lucky. His girls were happy, he was healthy once again, the store was doing well, and he had reliable employees and friends. It just didn’t feel like enough anymore. Or maybe it had never felt like enough; he’d just gotten good at lying to himself.

He’d tried to move on, agreeing to go on a date with Felix, who’d surprised him by making dinner at his amazing house in what was obviously the wealthier part of the island.

Danny’d felt a little shitty when Felix picked him up after Chin and Malia had taken the girls out to dinner, because he’d deliberately planned it so he’d have to return home in time to put the girls to bed. Malia had offered to take them for the night, but he’d vetoed the idea, already knowing that no matter how charming Felix might be, he wasn’t Steve.

But Danny’d wanted to give it a try, hoping that maybe he was wrong. His mind knew that Felix was a catch. He was smart and funny, and Danny appreciated how he truly seemed to respect Danny’s opinions. Besides the clothing stores, the man owned a chain of restaurants. He lived in an amazing house and seemed interested in Danny, even knowing about his family and work issues. Unfortunately, Danny couldn’t drum up more than a casual interest.

He couldn’t help comparing Felix and Steve; on paper, Felix was by far the better catch. Felix was fun and easy; Steve was arguments and drama. Felix lived right on the island; Steve was miles away. Felix made sure Danny knew that he was interested in a long-term relationship; Steve hadn’t called Danny once since he’d left. Felix seemed to have eyes only for Danny; Steve continued to work with Catherine and probably still had ‘just sex’ with her on a regular basis.

Thirty five days after Steve had left, Danny was closing up shop, putting the chairs on the tables, the door locked. It was a Friday night, and usually the girls would be upstairs watching a program, but Malia and Chin had put on a full court press for Danny to let them take the girls for the night. Chin had even gone so far as to remind Danny that he was supposed to “let us help sometimes”. Malia had taken his hands in hers and said that she’d missed spending time the girls.

So of course Danny’d had to let them go.

Danny stopped for a moment, looking over the changes in the shop. The twins had left their uniform tops on the counter so he could wash them – they’d come to work the day after he’d issued them with the sleeves and collars cut out. Kekona, at least he thought it was Kekona, had even cut the bottom so she could bare part of her midriff. He’d opened his mouth to say something, but then thought, what the hell? He’d been doing his own thing all this time, why not let them be comfortable?

He had the evening to himself, and he didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t go far, since he still didn’t have a car and didn’t want to spend any money to take a taxi anywhere. Besides, he didn’t know where he’d go even if he could afford one. He still didn’t have cable, and he couldn’t bring himself to watch that rom-com he pretended he didn’t like. Because the twins were good at their jobs, they’d given him the chance to work on his paperwork during the day, so it was all up to date. Except for a few stragglers that he could take care of tomorrow, the dishes were washed, and while the beverage case wasn’t full thanks to the final customer of the day choosing to buy drinks for his large group of friends to rehydrate after some early clubbing, the shop was pretty much ready for the next day. He had to do the deposit but figured he’d put it off until later since he always hated doing it. Sighing, Danny headed for the light switch when he heard someone knocking on the door.

“We’re closed!” He shouted, not bothering to turn around.

The knocking grew more frenzied, and Danny turned around, not bothering to hide his annoyance. “I said, we’re clo –” He stopped. Blinked. Tilted his head, closed his mouth. His mind couldn’t process what he saw on the other side of the glass. He walked closer, staring intently, unable to reconcile sudden conflicting feelings, and all he could think to do was repeat, “We’re closed”.


	24. Chapter 24

Even though he heard the words clearly, Steve knocked again, his eyes locked on Danny, whose face held a look of disbelief. “Danny, let me in. Please.”

“What do you want?”

Leave it to Danny to make it difficult, Steve thought, unable to tear his eyes away from the man who’d inhabited his thoughts – both waking and dreaming – since he’d left. He looked a little thinner, a little sadder, but Steve felt soothed, like someone had spread chilled aloe vera over sunburned skin. Suddenly tension he hadn’t known he’d been carrying flew away, leaving him more relaxed than he could remember being in a long time –although the longer he stood outside, the more unsure he became. “I want you to let me in.”

“We open tomorrow morning at six. Feel free to come back then.”

During the long flight, Steve had pictured quite a few different scenarios, and except for the first, unrealistic one that had Danny flinging open the door and planting himself in Steve’s arms, they all started just like this. He held up an envelope. “I have news about your franchise.” He had to muffle the smile at Danny’s disgruntled expression.

Danny mumbled under his breath as he turned off the alarm and unlocked the door, stepping aside so Steve could pull it open and walk inside. Danny relocked the door but made a point of not moving toward the alarm, arching an eyebrow and folding his arms. Steve wondered if he knew how defensive he looked and decided that Danny wouldn’t really care.

Danny reached out his hand, and Steve looked at it and then back in Danny’s eyes.

Danny rolled his eyes. “The envelope with the news, please.”

“Can we go upstairs? I have to explain.”

“The letter itself doesn’t explain it?” Danny asked, worry shadowing his face.

“It’s not bad news, I promise. I just need to – can we maybe go upstairs?”

A few expressions raced across Danny’s face before he sighed and nodded. “Fine. Head on up, and I’ll turn off the lights.”

Tucking the letter into the back pocket of his well-worn jeans, Steve smiled and headed into the back. He absently noticed the lack of papers that usually littered Danny’s desk before walking up the stairs. He looked at the kitchen table but decided to continue into the living room, preferring the close quarters of the sofa. There weren’t any chairs in the room, so Danny would either have to stand or sit on the floor if he didn’t want to sit beside Steve. No, Danny would suck it up and sit beside him, Steve was fairly certain.

He heard Danny’s footsteps and stood quickly, pulling the letter from his pocket before returning to his seat.

He was nervous. It was the first time he’d acknowledged it to himself since Catherine’s eyes caught his after she’d hugged him goodbye at the airport. He had everything riding on this conversation, and he found himself praying that all of his careful preparations wouldn’t be thrown back into his face.

Danny stepped into the room, the tension filling up the small space as he leaned against his closed bedroom door, arms folded.

Steve sighed. “Will you sit down?”

“Just tell me. Do I need a lawyer?”

“Sit down, and I’ll explain everything.”

“Why can’t you just tell me?” Danny asked, arms waving to emphasize his question.

“Why can’t you just sit the hell down?”

Danny huffed and rolled his eyes but finally sat on the sofa, so far away that he was practically sitting on the arm.

In mulling over this part, Steve had debated about telling his story, but he knew that this wasn’t the time to build up anticipation. This was Danny’s life, and he’d been living in limbo long enough. “You get to keep the franchise.” He held out the envelope.

After all of his blunder, Danny seemed hesitant to take the envelope.

“It’s yours,” Steve encouraged.

Danny reached out and took the envelope, slowly opening it, his eyes widening when he saw the check. His mouth dropped open when he read the amount.

“Dad decided that we needed an impartial decision, so we went through arbitration.”

Danny frowned, his eyes still glued to the check. “How could you go through arbitration without me?”

“I was your proxy.”

That caught Danny’s attention. “How did you – I never signed… Steven, what did you do?”

Steve didn’t want to go into details about the quasi – who the hell was he kidding – the questionable measures he’d gone through to represent Danny at the arbitration. He knew that Danny didn’t have the money or the available time to come himself, and frankly, Steve felt that Danny shouldn’t have had to defend himself in the first place. “The point is, after Victor and I each presented our cases and our witnesses –”

“What witnesses? Who witnessed?”

Steve continued, pretending that Danny hadn’t spoken, “ – the arbitrator ruled in our, in your favor and said that you were owed compensation. The breakdown is in there. Of course, you’ll have to sign a couple of forms, nondisclosure agreements and one saying that you won’t sue us…”

Danny didn’t pull out the papers but continued to glare at Steve. “You could’ve just sent it to me.”

Steve smiled faintly. “I wanted to deliver it personally.” Plus, they had some unresolved issues, and Steve had one important question, his entire future hinging upon Danny’s answer.

Danny slid off the arm and sat fully on the sofa, his eyes back on the check. “I never told you what happened, why Victor hates me.”

Steve could tell that it was something Danny needed to get out, so he remained silent.

“I think I told you that I was a cop, a lifetime ago,” Danny started. “Do you know how many cops go their entire careers without ever firing their weapon? You’d be surprised at the number. I was on the force a little over six years and only fired my gun once.”

Steve nodded, letting Danny know he was listening.

“It was winter in January, and I was walking my beat, just like I did almost every night. I remember it was really cold, the kind of chill that showed your breath even when you’d been outside for twenty minutes.” Danny laid the check over his knee, absently pressing it down as he spoke. “I heard a noise, like breaking glass, coming from across the street, so I called it in and went over to take a look. I saw this shape, a guy carrying a box, and I called out, identifying myself. He stopped and dropped the box.”

He sighed, staring sightlessly in front of him, his hands still pressing on the check. “It happened so fast. Even though the alley was pretty dark, I still remember seeing the glint of the medal of his gun. I heard the shot, dove for cover as I fired back.”

Finally, Danny looked at him, and Steve could almost feel the confusion and pain radiating out of Danny’s eyes. “It was a freak shot. Got him right in chest.” He took a huge sigh. “Afterward, they couldn’t find his gun. It took them a day and a half before they found the bullet he’d shot at me.”

A day and a half of everyone thinking it had been a bad shoot, Steve couldn’t imagine the stress Danny had been under. “A day and a half, that must’ve been rough.”

Danny huffed out a humorless laugh. “It wasn’t so bad, I guess. Obviously, I was on leave while they did the investigation, so I spent that time with Jenna.” He ran a hand over his chin. “They eventually cleared me after finding the bullet and gunshot residue on his hands, but there was always this unspoken… thing, because they never found the gun.” Danny paused again. “I guess it was supposed to help that the guy I shot was a career criminal, but…”

“But there was always the question,” Steve said.

Danny nodded. “Yeah, what happened to the gun.” He leaned back, shoulders slumping as if he’d suddenly relaxed. Only Steve knew better. “So that guy, the one I killed, the one whose gun was never found, was named Anton Gallagher, Anton Hesse Gallagher, step- brother of – ”

“Victor Hesse, our VP of Marketing,” Steve said, unable to remain silent.

Danny nodded, his brow furrowed. “You knew.”

“I knew something was up, but I didn’t have the details.”

“Did he tell you?”

“Actually,” Steve couldn’t repress a smile, “We got our first clue from Recording Rita.”

Danny blinked.

“You know how Jenna squeezes her when she’s scared?”

Clarity smoothed over Danny’s face. “And she squeezed it when Victor was in the shop.”

Steve nodded.

“How much did you hear?”

Steve pulled out his phone and played the recording:

Victor: - that you were a failure as a human being then, you’re a failure  
now, and you never deserved this franchise.  
Danny: It doesn’t matter what you think of me. All you had to do was  
your job!  
Victor: If you’d done your job yea-

“So this told us that it was personal. Obviously, we didn’t have the details, and at the time, we only knew that Victor’s younger brother had been in and out of jails before disappearing. We’d been looking for an Anton Hesse, so that initially threw us off. Eventually, Victor broke in arbitration.” Steve decided to keep the details of the meeting that preceded the arbitration – involving his dad physically stepping between the two of them before Steve knocked Victor on his ass – to himself for the time being.

Danny rolled his eyes. “I sit here and pour out this big… thing, and you already knew about it?”

Steve could’ve told him that he knew Danny needed to get it out; he understood how the guilt must’ve festered all these years and how purging it would be good for him. But all he said was, “I wanted to hear your side of it.”

“You’ve had how long to ask me about my side of it? Or, wait. Did Recording Rita just call you up yesterday and tell you about it?”

“I kept hinting at it, hoping you’d say something – ”

“Hinting? When was this hinting? Was I even in the room?”

Steve sighed. “I didn’t want to force you to remember something that I thought might have been pretty traumatic for you.”

“Even though it probably would’ve helped my case?”

“You’re a smart guy; you had to have known that it might’ve helped your case, but you chose not to say anything. It’s your life; you had a right to choose whether or not you wanted to talk about it.”

“So you’re telling me that this – ” Danny waved around the check, “ – would’ve happened without all of that being brought to light?”

“I’m saying that I used the evidence and information I was able to obtain without your assistance.”

“Evidence you were able to obtain?” When did you become a cop?”

“Actually –”

“Oh, wait. You aren’t a cop! Maybe, what was that show? Maybe you’re a JAG.”

Steve tried to hold back a laugh. That laugh turned into an exhausted sigh as Steve caught a glimpse into how good a cop Danny must have been.

“Let me guess – you got your law degree while you were out on your secret missions...”

What felt like ten minutes of grilling later, Steve finally sliced a hand in the air and shouted, “Look! You keep the franchise, you get this money to help you get everything up to snuff with a little more as compensation for your pain and suffering. Can’t you just be happy for, like, five minutes?”

“Yes, I can be happy for five minutes, Steven. It’s just that in six minutes, I’ll be getting a knock on my door from the IRS.” He huffed, looking down at the check. He scratched his cheek with a finger and looked up at Steve, smiling slightly. “So I get to keep the franchise?”

“Yep,” Steve said, grinning back at him.

“What happened to Hesse?”

“He’s now an Executive Director for another food chain.”

“You traded him?”

Steve still wasn’t happy with his father’s resolution, but he’d promised that he wouldn’t extract retribution. “Dad said that Victor had been an exemplary VP except for this one case when he’d let personal issues cloud his professional judgment. So Victor took a demotion when he moved to his new job. The details of the rest of the deal is confidential.”

Danny eyeballed him. “Even from you?”

“Especially from me,” Steve said. His father had raked him over the coals for his handling of the whole matter, then taken a look at him and said he’d never seen Steve so passionate about someone before.

Danny sighed and leaned back. “I guess I’d go a little off-book too if the guy I blamed for killing my brother dropped right into my lap.”

Steve stared at Danny.

“What?”

“He’s spent the last few years making your life hell, and that’s all you can say?”

“I’m not saying that if the guy were standing right in front of me that I wouldn’t punch him in the face – again – but I can get how his viewpoint got a little screwy. No harm, no foul.”

Steve couldn’t believe Danny’s reaction. “How are you not angry right now?”

“My two girls are healthy and happy. I have something here-” he waved the check, “ – that’s going to help me pay the two young kids working for me and keep me from going under – and pay you and Catherine back, don’t think I don’t know that you did. I’ll actually be able to pay off my medical bills.” He smiled, and Steve had to make a fist to stop himself from reaching out. “So the way I figure it, I’m doing pretty damn good.”

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Danny looked down at the check, still not believing that it was his name on it, that it was real. He’d have thought it was a dream, but his dreams involved things like waking up rested or taking the girls to the beach. He’d never been one to wish for things that could never be. And this check? This check was definitely something that had never entered his mind.

He slid a look at Steve smiling at him, his hand in a loose fist on his thigh. He never really thought he’d see Steve again. But here Steve sat, looking just as good as when he’d left two months before, damnit.

Danny had hoped that eventually his memories of Steve would fade, that his feelings would dim. So far, that hadn’t happened. But Danny had his pride, and he wasn’t about to let Steve know how much it’d hurt that he hadn’t even gotten so much as a text. He’d picked up his own phone to call at different times that first month, but time difference aside, he knew that Steve had his own schedule, his own life. Danny didn’t want to be that guy, the man who couldn’t take a hint. So he’d waited for Steve, who’d known Danny’s schedule, to call or maybe shoot a quick text, at least to let him know how things were progressing with his case.

“Thanks for bringing this,” Danny said finally.

Steve pointed to Danny’s chest. “How’re the lungs?” He asked, almost as if he wanted to continue the conversation.

“As good as new,” Danny said, resolved to rip off the bandage and let Steve leave before he did something crazy, like beg him to stay. “Well, I’m sure you have plans…” he made to rise, but Steve rested a hand on Danny’s arm.

“Danny, I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch –”

“It’s fine,” Danny lied, staring at the hand burning through the skin on his arm. “You went back to your life. There’s no need to apologize for that.”

“You don’t understand,” Steve said. “I wanted to finish your case as soon as possible –”

“And I appreciate that,” Danny said, waving the check. While he wanted to pretend that he was good with Steve’s moving on, he really, really didn’t want to hear the details. “And now we can both get back to our lives.”

Steve sighed. “Can I finish?”

“Sure, but you’re gonna have to do it while I close,” he said, playing for time as he placed the check reverently on the coffee table, weighing it down with a plastic videotape cover, before walking back downstairs.

They fell into an easy rhythm, one they’d created months ago when Steve had been working there. It made Danny’s heart ache a little, but he still enjoyed the familiarity.

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Steve totaled up the deposit, something he’d gotten into the habit of doing because he was way faster at numbers than Danny and could finish it in a fraction of the time. Personally, he thought that Danny had a difficult time with it because he had trouble concentrating on one thing with so many balls in the air, but he knew there was nothing Danny could do about it, and saying something would only make Danny defensive.

They finished fairly quickly, and Steve upended the last quat bucket into the industrial-sized sink while Danny finished refilling the beverage case out front.

“Hey!” Danny’s voice echoed through the rooms, the suspicious tone evident through the swinging doors that they’d left open. “How is it that you haven’t asked about the girls?”

Wincing at the mistake, Steve asked, “How are they?”

“Good,” Danny said, voice lowered as he walked into the kitchen and started putting away the overstock bottles on a shelf. “Grace accidentally,” paused to put up air quotes, “hit Tommy in the face with a dodge ball after he made her best friend cry. And Jenna watched some cartoon with a donkey at Chin and Malia’s, and now she has this really annoying laugh.” He eyeballed a laughing Steve, the edges of his mouth turning upward, belying his serious tone. “Go ahead and laugh, but it stops being funny after Rita repeats it ad nauseam.”

Steve leaned against the freezer and watched Danny put away the last of the juices. “Since I don’t see them here, I’m assuming you’re on your own for the night?”

Danny shot him a knowing look that shot straight to Steve’s gut. “So we’re going to pretend that I don’t know you set up this whole thing?”

Steve smoothed his face into what he hoped was a look of innocence. “What whole thing?”

Rolling his eyes, Danny broke down an empty box and casually tossed it into a recycle can. “What if I already have plans?”

Steve felt his face tighten and grow hot. Chin had assured him that Danny wasn’t seeing Felix and that there was no one else in the picture. “Do you?” He tried to keep the uncertainty out of his voice. He wasn’t used to the blanket of insecurity, and he didn’t like it. It didn’t help that he couldn’t blame anyone else but himself if Danny had found someone.

Danny sighed. “No, actually, I don’t. I figured I’d see if I could dig up one of the grown-up movies Kono had given me and maybe go to bed early, catch up on my sleep.”

“That sounds really exciting,” Steve muttered, following Danny out into the dining room and watching as he made sure all of the appliances were turned off.

“Okay, Smooth Dog, what did you expect when you came here?”

Steve blinked, surprised at the nickname.

“You might not’ve called in the past couple of months, but Catherine’s checked in with me a few times.” Danny smirked, heading back toward the kitchen.

Something inside of Steve snapped. Uncertainty wasn’t something he was used to, and he didn’t like the way it felt. Taking charge, though, was something that came naturally. Following Danny into the kitchen, Steve grabbed his arm, pulling until Danny stood right in front of him, close enough that Steve could count his eyelashes if he’d wanted. Instead, his mind was on other things. “Just because I didn’t call you didn’t mean that I wasn’t thinking about you every minute of every day.” He lowered his head, nuzzling at Danny’s neck. “I thought about the fact that I’ve never slowly unbuttoned your shirt, my mouth following my hands down your chest. I thought about unfastening your belt, popping that button on your pants and slowly lowering the zipper.” He sucked behind Danny’s ear, smiling faintly at Danny’s muffled groan as he unzipped and eased his hand into Danny’s boxers. “While getting off with you last time was fantastic, I like the idea of taking my time, dropping to my knees –”

With a muttered, “Shit”, Danny shoved Steve against the wall by the door, attacking his mouth with a ferocity that Steve appreciated. There’d been way too many nights where Steve had awakened, drenched in sweat and come but still feeling unsatisfied, the whisper of Danny’s name on his lips.

“Wait.” Danny pulled back, but Steve followed him, taking his mouth with another kiss. Danny kissed back, pressing until Steve was once again against the wall.

Steve was used to being the aggressor, and he found that he liked the change. He felt Danny’s erection against his hip and began to undulate.

“No. Wait. No.” For a second time, Danny pulled back. This time, he took a deep breath, pressing his hand against Steve’s chest.

Steve wanted to protest, but the rapid rise and fall of Danny’s chest held him silent.

Danny began to pace, running a hand through his hair. “I know it’s been a while, but we had a little talk a while ago about our viewpoints on emotional attachments.” He looked at Steve like he was expecting a response.

Steve took a moment to decide what to say. He knew what he wanted to tell Danny, but he was unsure of exactly how to say it. He’d had two months to come up with something, but now, when it was most important, he was at a loss.

Danny sighed, a disappointed look on his face that pierced Steve’s heart. “I see the gesture, coordinating an overnight for the girls with Chin and Malia. I get the planning and the coordination, and I appreciate that. But that doesn’t change anything: I still live here, still work insane hours and spend my free time with my girls. You still live on the East Coast, live your life, and have your commitment-free relationships.”

“I miss you,” the words slipped out of Steve in a whisper, and he found that he didn’t want to take it back. “Tell me that you didn’t miss me too.”

“That’s not the point,” Danny said, exasperatedly. “Do you not understand, or are you just determined to make this more difficult than it is already?”

“You said you’ve been talking to Catherine?”

The change in topic stopped Danny, and Steve allowed himself a moment to enjoy having the upper hand. He knew it wasn’t going happen often.

“I’m not sure what you talked about other than my nickname, but she must not’ve mentioned that we’ve done some… restructuring with the company in the past two months, which is partially why I didn’t call you.” He looked around. “How ‘bout we go back upstairs so I can finish telling you about it?”

“No,” Danny said without even a pause. “I remember what happened the last time you were here, and we went up there unsupervised.”

Steve didn’t bother hiding his smirk.

“Shut up,” Danny muttered.

“Then let’s go back to the house.”

“You mean the house that Mary’s been living in since before you left?”

Steve winced.

“Yeah,” Danny said. “I’ve heard some nightmarish stories. Kono shudders when she even thinks about it. You might need a construction crew instead of a janitorial service if she ever leaves.” Danny looked thoughtful. “She stops by once or twice a week.”

Steve nodded. He and Chin had called each other almost weekly, and he’d been pleasantly surprised to learn that Danny had adopted Mary. It’d made sense once he’d thought about it. Danny, a man who’d grown up without a family, was slowly making one of his own, filled with a mishmash of personalities that somehow, together, made sense. Of course Danny still wouldn’t let her take the girls anywhere unsupervised, but Chin said that the she’d had a great time hanging out with the girls in the upstairs apartment. Turned out, Danny created a family that Mary needed too.

He didn’t let Danny change the subject, though. “Then let’s head over to my condo.”

Danny blinked. “Of course you have a condo.”

Steve grinned. “It’s a timeshare.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” Danny muttered, heading for the kitchen. “Let me grab my wallet.”

“Pack a bag,” Steve called. He heard Danny huff and grinned, deciding that he’d follow.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is it! The final chapter. Thanks to all of you who've stayed with it and sent me comments - know that this is story has become so much better than it was when I started posting because of your input these past couple of weeks. I hope you find it a fitting end and worth all of the emotion and angst that these boys have caused. :-)
> 
> Tomorrow's going to be a little strange, and I'll miss you all. I have another AU that is almost ready for posting, so hopefully we'll be chatting again in a few months.

Chapter 25

Danny didn’t pause as he heard Steve’s footsteps behind him on the stairs, but he did make sure he sighed loud enough for Steve to hear him. “You don’t have to follow me.”

“Just want to make sure you pack the right things,” Steve said mildly.

“I don’t need a bag to talk,” Danny said, although he wondered why he was even pretending.

“We’re still friends, right? Friends crash with each other all the time.”

Danny snorted. Friends didn’t make out like they’d just done. They didn’t whisper in each other’s ears until one was about to come from that alone. “Friends don’t stop by in the middle of the night uninvited. They do, however, talk on the phone, like you and Chin.”

“It’s not the middle of the night,” Steve protested, “and I’ll explain why I haven’t called you when we get to the condo.”

Danny wanted to call Steve out, make him admit to his ulterior motives, but he couldn’t do it, because he didn’t want to look too closely at his own. Steve wasn’t the only one involved in that kiss downstairs, and while he wished he could say that it was because he hadn’t gotten any action in two months, Danny couldn’t lie to himself. Sure, it’d been difficult to go back to nothing after what he and Steve had done right before Steve left, but he’d managed for years before that. And if all he’d wanted was a quick fuck, he was pretty sure he could’ve gotten that from Felix.

Danny headed into his bedroom, calling out to Steve, “make yourself at home; I’ll be out in a minute.” He grabbed a change of clothes, an extra pair of boxers, and dumped his toiletries in a plastic bag, shoving it all into the first backpack he found. He walked out in time to watch Steve close the microwave door and dump something into the trashcan. “Hey! That was my dinner.” He decided not to mention that he’d heated it up after he’d gotten the girls ready and had forgotten about it.

“That was frozen sodium with additives,” Steve sniffed. “We’ll stop somewhere on the way and get some takeout.”

“You’re a snob. You know that, right?”

Steve picked up the box on the counter and looked at it. “There were vegetables in there?”

Danny sighed and picked up his wallet from the counter, shoving it in his back pocket. “I’m ready.”

Steve took the backpack from Danny and grinned at the girl on the front with the words, “Hola!”. “Admit it; she’s like your third daughter.”

“You’re not half as funny as you think you are,” Danny informed him, shoving Steve out of the apartment.

“You’re laughing on the inside; I know it,” Steve said.

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They teased each other as they went to Honolulu Burger Company, Steve’s new favorite burger joint, then all the way to the condo. It felt natural. And while he shouldn’t have been, Steve was a little surprised at how much he’d missed hanging out with Danny. How much he’d missed Danny. Being with the man felt more right than anything, making him feel more comfortable about all the decisions he’d made in the past two months.

Danny whistled as he walked into the condo, food bags in his hand. “The kitchen is bigger than my entire apartment.”

“Not that difficult to find,” Steve muttered, tossing the key card and his car keys on the island and dropping Danny’s Dora backpack just inside the door.

“What?”

“Nothing!”

“Don’t think I didn’t hear that,” Danny said, placing the bags on the small table in the living room area.

Steve sighed. “Then why were you asking me to repeat myself?”

“It was more a request for you to rethink what you’d said,” Danny said, arms spread like he was offering Steve a favor.

Steve grabbed some plates and utensils from the kitchen, putting them on the table before returning with a couple of glasses of ice water and a six-pack of Longboards nestled in an ice-filled bucket.

Danny stood looking at the table with a small grin on his face.

Steve stood beside him and looked as well, failing to see the humor. “What?”

“You put out dishes for burgers and fries. And not just paper plates and plastic spoons but real, breakable, dishes.” He picked up a glass. “And these are glasses, not cups with princesses on them.” He sighed. “And beer.”

Steve felt absurdly happy that he’d been the one to provide Danny with quality dishware and alcoholic beverages but tamped down the feeling and just shrugged. “Have a seat.” He pulled out Danny’s chair, ignoring Danny’s sidelong, narrow-eyed, glance, then seated himself.

After a brief pause, Danny started unpacking the food, and Steve sat back, relaxing, just watching. If he didn’t know better, he’d think that having Danny serve him food satisfied some primal urges, but Catherine’d had him over a few times, and it had never filled him with such a sense of satisfaction as watching Danny grimace over the burger and fries he put on Steve’s plate before sliding them over to him.

“What is that again?”

“House-made kalua pig grilled pineapple salsa burger and poutine fries – fries with local cheese curds and gravy.” He took a fry and made a humming noise. “You should try it.”

“Uh, no.” Danny scrunched up his nose and pulled out his own cheeseburger and the sweet potato fries he’d let Steve talk him into trying. “I like to keep pineapples where they belong. As decoration.”

“Decoration.”

“As a centerpiece on a table with flowers and leis.” Danny held out his arms, palms flexed outward, as if he were picturing the decoration like a painting against the wall.

“Sounds like a waste of a perfectly good pineapple to me,” Steve muttered before taking a large bite of his burger. He took a moment to savor the taste – he’d had to limit his visits the last time so he didn’t gain fifty pounds – and just closed his eyes. Reopening his eyes after the first swallow, he found Danny gazing at him, the look on his face making Steve forget all about the burger. His heart begun to pound, and he had to force himself not to sweep everything off the table and just… lunge at Danny.

Danny’s phone rang, interrupting the tension. It took another ring for Danny to collect himself enough to dig it out of his pocket and answer.

Steve continued to eat, enjoying watching Danny saying goodnight to his daughters. Danny’s expression was pure bliss, his voice animated, his eyes shining. Eventually, Danny’s tone changed, prompting Steve to look up.

“Hold on a second. There’s someone here who wants to say goodnight.” Danny held the phone out to Steve, who looked at it dumbly.

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“It’s for you.” Danny grinned at the slightly confused look on Steve’s face as he took the phone and put it to his ear. “They’re on speaker,” he warned.

Steve knew what that meant and quickly held the phone away from his ear even as a smile crawled over his face. Danny chuckled, taking a bite of his burger, his focus centered on Steve and his conversation with the girls, who sounded absolutely delighted to hear from their long-lost Uncle Steve. Danny had finished all of his water, half of his burger, and most of his sweet potato fries – which were really good, he had to admit – by the time Steve finally said his goodnights and handed he phone back to Danny, who added one last, “Danno loves you” before hanging up.

Steve took a bite of his burger, making a face.

“Yeah, the food gets a little cold when you’re on the phone for half an hour,” Danny teased.

“It was fifteen minutes, tops,” Steve said, glaring at Danny before taking another defiant bite of his burger.

Danny let him eat, detailing more of Grace and Jenna’s adventures that Steve had missed. He stopped now and again to pick at the rest of his fries and to let Steve recuperate from laughing bouts that, at times, turned into choking fits.

Eventually, they ended up on the sofa, Longboards in hand, the others waiting patiently on the coffee table.

“So,” Danny said casually, wiping off some condensation with his finger, “you wanted to talk.”

“Yeah.” Frown lines appeared between Steve’s eyes, and he shifted uncomfortably.

Danny settled on the sofa, making sure he faced Steve so he wouldn’t miss a moment. He wasn’t sure what Steve had planned, but he decided he’d at least enjoy Steve’s level of discomfort for as long as he could. He figured he’d let Steve stew for a while, but after about thirty seconds, he grew tired of waiting. “You know, Steven, talking involves opening your mouth and letting words come out.” He added a come-on circular motion with his arm for emphasis.

“I’m thinking,” Steve said.

“You’re the one who showed up at my door,” Danny reminded him. “And I’m guessing that it wasn’t a spur of the moment decision since you had my check in your hands. You more than a month and an entire plane ride to work out what you were going to say. You could’ve maybe borrowed a pen, written a draft on one of those barf bags.”

“I’m more a spur-of-the-moment kind of guy,” Steve said.

“That works really well for you, I can see,” Danny teased.

Steve glared at him. “You’re enjoying this.”

“Not at all,” Danny lied, enjoying himself immensely.

Steve took a deep breath, clasping his hands together and developing a sudden fascination with the beer on the coffee table in front of him. “Did I tell you that I started working at Boone so my dad could recuperate from a heart attack?”

“Right. You left the Navy so you could take up the slack, right?”

“I came on board as acting President and CEO, but I knew that I’d end up with the position if Dad didn’t fully recover.”

“I’m sure it was a big adjustment from blowing shit up all the time.”

Steve smiled faintly, but Danny saw a sadness in his eyes. “Actually, it was time, I think. I didn’t realize it then, but while I loved the Navy and serving my country, I was a little tired of living out of a duffle bag.”

Danny thought he could relate a little. While he hadn’t traveled the world, he’d made his way through various foster and state homes, places where he never even bothered unpacking the bag he’d picked up somewhere along the way. Maybe that was why he’d jumped so quickly at making a home with Rachel; he wanted to settle down, feel like he’d created a home.

“Catherine said your dad’s doing better.”

“Yeah, he officially took back the reins two weeks ago, and he’s been learning how to delegate so he’s not trying to do it all himself.”

“Does that mean you get demoted to VP of something or other?” Danny asked. Steve never really spoke that much about his father, but Danny got the feeling that there was a little tension there and wondered if that were a normal father/son kind of thing. He personally had no frame of reference, so he wasn’t about to judge.

“That’s the thing.” Steve’s gaze bounced from Danny to various points of the living room. “Hawaii’s always been home to me. Even when I was in the Navy, when I talked about home, I meant here. But I never really visited after I graduated high school and got into Annapolis; maybe I knew that it would be too hard to leave again.”

Danny nodded, although once again, he didn’t have the same experience. He’d been born and grown up in New Jersey, and while it had felt like home, it was just another place where he didn’t allow himself to become too attached. He missed certain things about it, but he’d learned a long time ago that it was easier to cut ties with something if you didn’t invest in it

“When I came back a few months ago, it was like I’d never left. All of my friends were here; everywhere I went was another memory.” He smiled faintly. “And then I met this guy and his two wonderful daughters who turned my nice little life inside out.”

Danny wanted to say that Steve wasn’t the only one who’d been affected by Steve’s visit, but for once, he held his tongue, wanting to see where Steve was going with this.

“In the few weeks I was here, I changed. My old life was like a suit that didn’t fit anymore. I missed Hawaii.” He scratched at his cheek and looked directly at Danny. “And the people I left here.”

Danny didn’t know what to say to that. He’d missed Steve desperately, but he couldn’t put himself out there like that only to get his heart crushed again. It was obvious by Steve’s pause that he expected Danny to respond, and Danny couldn’t resist saying, “Babe, we missed you too.”

A corner of Steve’s mouth lifted.

It looked so sweet that Danny smiled back and continued, “The girls were always looking at the door, like they expected you any minute.”

“I thought about them a lot too.” Steve grew serious and leaned forward, his breath ghosting over Danny as he whispered, “I thought about you too.”

‘Steve –”

Steve reached out and put his hand on Danny’s knee, the surprise and warmth effectively shutting Danny’s mouth.

“My leaving like I did was shitty.”

“You had a life to get back –”

“What I had was a shell of a life,” Steve said, cutting Danny off. “I had a job and a routine, but my life was more of an existence that I was just floating through. I didn’t realize what I was missing until I came here. Until I met you.”

Hope rose in Danny’s chest, but he tamped it right back down. ‘What’re you saying?”

“I’m saying that I quit my job.”

Danny froze. “Steve –”

“I’d only planned to be there until my father was strong enough to run the company again, and he is. He has Catherine there to help, and I’m only a phone call away if he needs me.”

“So what does that mean?” Danny knew his voice sounded a little hoarse, but he could barely hear it over the thumping of his heart, which begged, ‘please please please’ with each beat.

“I’m moving – I’ve moved – back to Hawaii. I didn’t call, because I know you’ve had so many people who’ve left you, and I didn’t want to be another of those. I wanted to show you instead of telling you my intentions.”

“But you had a good gig!” Danny loved the idea of having Steve back on the island, but even he could see how Steve was going to be taking a massive financial hit. “You can’t make that kind of salary here unless you get another corporate job.”

“Actually, my dad went to school with the governor, and they stay in touch. She’d mentioned a while back that she wanted to put together a task force to help get rid of organized crime on the islands.”

“Wait.” Danny was confused. “You’re not a cop.”

“I was in the Navy, so I know how to get things done,” Steve said. “I’m hoping to shanghai Chin, and he’ll help keep me in line.”

Danny snorted. “He’s gonna need all the help he can get.”

“Kono’s almost out of the academy, and Chin’s partner, Meka Hanamoa, might be interested in joining us.”

“A four-person task force?” Danny thought about it. “It could work, I suppose.”

“I’m also bringing in Charlie, my assistant from Boone. He’s originally from Hawaii and jumped at the chance at coming home. He’s even okay with taking a bit of a cut in pay.” Steve slid a glance at Danny, obviously checking to see how Danny was taking the news.

“That’s terrific, babe.” Danny smiled, liking the idea of Steve closer, but he didn’t want to assume anything. “You gonna live in your dad’s house?”

“It’s mine now,” Steve said. “I bought it from him.”

“What about Mary?”

“She’s planning on moving in with her boyfriend,” Steve’s dismissive tone on the last word made Danny smile.

“She’s brought him by the shop a few times. His name’s Manny, and he’s not a bad guy.”

Steve didn’t look impressed. “We’ll see.”

Danny hoped for Manny’s sake that he didn’t break Mary’s heart. “It sounds like you have it all planned out.”

“Except for one thing. All of this is great, but it won’t mean anything if I don’t have you.”

Danny blinked. He hadn’t let himself hope for this, had forced himself not to dream about ‘what if’. “Steve – ”

“I want you and the girls to come live with me. Kamekona told me that he’s been trying to sell you his cousin’s car; it’s not fancy, but it’ll get you and the girls safely to the shop, the school, and around the island.”

Danny’s heart had soared for a moment, only to take a deep nosedive. “Steve, I can’t be some sort of charit –”

“It’s not charity if you’re doing it for the person you love,” Steve said, barely pausing before saying the last word. He took a deep breath. “I love you,” he said simply.

Danny really wanted to say yes to all of it, to living with Steve, to being able to take the girls around the island, to being able to get Jenna into her special school. But things like this didn’t happen to people like him. “You don’t know what kind of commitment you’re making here,” Danny told him. “Jenna might never be able to live on her own, and as precious as they both are, they’re still little girls who are going to turn into teenagers.”

“So? You talk to them about the girl stuff, and I’ll meet all the potential boyfriends at the door with my MP5.”

“That’s what? A submachine gun? Please tell me you’re joking about owning one of those,” Danny said, then sighed, pressing a hand over his eyes. “You’re not joking.”

“I keep all of my weapons locked up,” Steve promised. “The girls will be safe.”

“Steven – ”

“Say yes,” Steve said, falling to his knees and crawling on the floor to the other end of the sofa where Danny sat. “You know you want to.”

It was true that he really wanted to say yes, but –

Steve kissed him, and the next thing Danny knew, he was lying on the sofa with Steve halfway on top of him. “Steve,” Danny muttered, forgetting what he was going to say when Steve bit him gently on the earlobe.

“Just tell me this. Do you love me?” Steve whispered, his breath hot against Danny’s ear before he pushed himself up and looked Danny in the eyes.

“Steve –”

“It’s a yes or no question, Danno. Do you love me?”

The part of Danny that had tried to keep his heart protected wanted to deny it. But another part thought that Steve was worth the chance and could be trusted.

Steve’s smile started to dim, and it broke Danny a little bit, so he reached out, pressing his palms against Steve’s cheeks. “Babe, I love you so much that it scares the shit out of me.”

“That’s okay,” Steve said, his smile so blinding that Danny couldn’t help but smile back helplessly, “it’ll get easier every day.”

Danny closed his eyes, breathing in all that was Steve and finally allowed himself to think of the future.


End file.
